Sick Day
by Cool Guy Jean
Summary: Friday, arguably the best day of the week. Jean and his friends decided to spend their Friday night at an outdoor concert. All seemed perfect until a certain best friend of his gets sick and can't make it to class or the concert. Now Jean is conflicted with a choice: Go to the concert with all his friends, or spend his night with Sasha, the real life of the party. (JeanSasha)
1. Chapter 1: Sick Day

Friday, hands down the best day of the week. I use to give that title to Saturday, since we don't even need to go to class and instead get to sleep in and do whatever we want all day, but ever since the start of my senior year last month, I've come to change that opinion. Nothing beats waking up, going to a half-ass day of class, getting to see all your friends and plan the weekend out, getting out just after two o'clock, and _then_ having the rest of the day to yourself, or with each other. Best part of it? All day you can remind yourself of the fact that starting tomorrow you have two full days off, back to back, giving you plenty of reassurance to stay out late and do nothing productive. I mean sure, it was just about time for all of us to apply to college, but I wasn't going to let any of that stuff ruin my weekend. Not this time. The next two and a half days were "Jean Time," and I intended on using it to the fullest.

Or so I thought.

The blaring of an alarm clock at six in the morning was something I was entirely accustomed to, what with class already being in session for over a month. Checking my phone, I still had another hour until class started. Not wasting any time, I took advantage of my "early to rise" routine and jumped in the shower. Knowing that the cooler weather was arriving today, I figured it'd be in my best interest to build my attire around that, so I picked a nice pair of beige cargo shorts, a nice blue T shirt of mine, and threw on my favorite jacket; my orange hoodie. A bit bright, but I felt that it reflected my mood. I'll admit, usually I wasn't a morning person, but today I just felt livid. To keep my energetic mood going, I grabbed an apple and a tall glass of water. Wasn't the most fulfilling breakfast, but I never liked eating anything heavy in the mornings. After finishing my "meal," I brushed my teeth, checked my backpack to make sure I had everything, grabbed my keys and headed out, locking the door at roughly 6:40. I didn't live too far off from the school, but I always preferred getting there when the parking lot wasn't filling up too quickly.

Ten minutes later, I arrived in the parking lot. My friends and I always like to park in the same row together just to make things easier when we're all leaving class later, and as usual I was the first to arrive. Not another minute passed, and a few of them started to show. Eren was the first. He parked right alongside of me in his Jeep, doors removed and everything. It always seemed like Eren and I were born to be rivals. We would always be on each other over something, but all in all I knew he was one of my closest friends. Sitting in the passenger side was his adopted sister, Mikasa. Eren looked like he didn't prepare too much for the chilly ride, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, but Mikasa sure did, wearing her trademark red scarf snuggly around her neck.

After chatting for a minute or so, the rest of them showed. Connie in his little VW Golf, Armin in his Fiesta, who apparently drove Annie today, Reiner and Bertolt had showed up in their trucks, Marco in his Malibu, and Ymir had picked up Christa in her Camaro. I wasn't sure if anyone else noticed, but there was one car missing. Sasha hadn't arrived yet. Everyone had parked in their respective spots, yet hers remained empty. With another five minutes until they actually opened the doors, I figured she was just running a little late. That seemed like something she would do. Actually, it _was_ something she would do. So far this year she hadn't been late, but in previous years sometimes she would show up late for days in a row.

Five minutes passed, and nothing. Everyone started to head inside, but I thought about waiting for just a few minutes. Sasha was worth the wait, in my books. Sasha had been a good friend of mine since Middle School, and me and her shared a lot of memories; a lot of good ones, but a few bad ones. She always enjoys bringing up the memories of me asking her for girl advice. Up until sophomore year, I had a relatively big crush on Mikasa, but after a while of trying I just caved. I don't know why Sasha likes to torment me with that, but I let her have her fun. I just bring up the time she tried to get away with eating a potato in science class. No one, and I mean no one, will ever let her live that down.

"Hey, are you coming? Class starts in fifteen; we should probably get to our lockers!" Marco shouted, interrupting my train of thought. It looked like everyone had already begun their walk to the doors, so I figured I would follow suit. Catching up to Marco, I pulled out my phone and texted Sasha.

"_Hey where are you? Don't tell me you're already going to start coming in late…"_

I kept my phone on vibrate, eager for a response. Slipping it away, I followed Marco to our lockers, casually chatting about whatever came to mind. My mind, however, was stuck on one auburn haired, golden eyed girl. Certainly she was going to make it today; it was an important day after all. We've been planning it all week, and today we were going to have it all finalized. We were going to enjoy one of the last useable days of the dying season by going to an outdoor concert. There was going to be music, food, fireworks, games, and everything. None of us could hide our excitement for long. Even Mikasa and Annie, who usually kept their cool when we were around, were smiling about it. Despite the intensity of our excitement, if Sasha didn't go, it just wouldn't be the same. She was honestly the life of the party, and although we would certainly have a blast, Sasha would make it ten times better. At least, that's what it felt like to me.

With the first bell almost about to ring, I rushed over to class. I didn't have a class with Sasha until fourth period, so I wouldn't know if she was on time, or even made it at all, until the end of the day. That, of course, was subject to change if she ever replied to my text. I made it through the door mere seconds before the bell rang, and quickly took my seat next to Armin and Mikasa. Physics was certainly not the best class, but it wasn't terrible. Our teacher, Mr. Levi as he preferred to be called, was an excellent teacher, but he had a few quirks. For one, he was a clean freak. If there was any trash left behind after class, anything unorganized, and/or any messy assignments, he would usually make the entire class help clean the room the following session. The other odd quality Mr. Levi possessed was not so bad, in fact, it was pretty reasonable. He always had a clean handkerchief ready to wipe his hands after using the chalkboard. Other than those two things, and that silly cravat he wore, the only other thing one would really call peculiar is his height, but no one dared say anything. In fact, I just got scared thinking of it; or more specifically the potential consequences if he knew I was thinking of his height deficit.

Class flew by as we ran through scenario after scenario, equation after equation. With fifteen minutes left, I felt a small vibration in my pocket. Hopefully, with any luck, it was Sasha. As eager as I was to read the message, I knew pulling my phone out mid class, especially during Mr. Levi's lecture, was practically instant detention. Instead of even risking that, especially with the big night tonight, I left it be and I went about my business. As soon as class ended, I pulled out my phone. After unlocking it and checking the notifications, it appeared as if I had finally received a reply. Opening the application revealed that it was indeed Sasha (Or, as she was labeled in my phone, "Potato Girl"). What I read next was certainly not what I expected.

"_Sorry Jean, I'm sick. Not coming in today. Take notes for me?"_

It was one of those situations where your heart sinks a little bit, and as much as you want to rectify things, you know you really can't. On my way to gym, I typed like a mad man, hoping to get as much information as possible.

"_What?! How sick? Will you still be good for tonight?"_

After realizing I completely disregarded her question, I sent a second text.

"_And yeah, I'll take notes."_

Moments later, I received a reply.

"_Fever. Very high. No way I can make it tonight. Sorry. :("_

I made it to the locker room, and sent one more text before I packed my things into the locker.

_"What bad luck. Get better soon and keep me posted, alright? I'll stop by later and drop off the notes. Need me to get anything on the way over?"_

With that, I stowed my phone away in the locker, changed, and headed out to the gymnasium. The entire warm up session I talked to Eren and Connie about it, and although they certainly seemed bummed about it, I could tell it wasn't going to stop them from having a blast. I knew I should feel the same way, but something about going out without Sasha made it feel like I wasn't actually going out. She really could be the difference between me having fun, and having an absolutely amazing night. That's what best friends do, right? Don't get me wrong, Connie is hilarious as can be, and when Eren plays along with it there can be some crazy stories to tell later, but it still just wouldn't seem right. Tonight was supposed to be perfect, but without Sasha, it felt like that was impossible. I brought it up with the two of them at the end of class, and Eren just laughed while Connie made a remark somewhere along the lines of "_Oh, I didn't know we were taking dates to this thing!"_ I never understood it, but people always treated Sasha and I like a couple. I mean, yeah she was pretty and a great person, but I didn't feel that way at all about her.

After freshening up and changing, I checked my phone on my way to the cafeteria. It was lunch time, meaning I could tell everyone the news and also get some more information about Sasha. Thirty minutes worth of chatting with her was enough to get some more answers. Maybe she was better. It was possible that she just had to get up for a little bit and kick start her day with some medicine. I don't think fate would do something that cruel on such an important day.

As it turns out, I was proven wrong, as I read her last messages while in line for lunch.

_"Thank you for worrying, Jean :). Haha I always knew you cared! Anyways, I'm going to sleep until you get here. Just call me when you're here."_

"_P.S. bring me something to eat. I'm feeling a milkshake and some fries will do :3"_

I shrugged this off as just typical Sasha. Not only was she going to sleep, but she was hungry. Not just hungry, but hungry for something that I'm pretty sure wasn't the best for her to be eating while she had a fever. There's no arguing with her, though, so I figured it wasn't worth trying to reply. She was probably fast asleep by now. Oddly enough for someone as energetic as her, she's a heavy sleeper. She can sleep through anything, yet when she wakes up, she's ready to go, as if she'd chugged a few energy drinks in her sleep. She never ceases to amaze me.

With that settled, I grabbed my lunch from the counter and walked over to my table.

* * *

The rest of the day practically flew by, which somewhat amazed me, seeing as class usually takes forever on days which proceeded fun filled nights. Third period wasn't bad at all, just another tech-ed elective I decided to take; "Power and Energy" with Mr. Bozado. He was a little strict when he gave lectures or demonstrated the equipment, but gave us our freedom when it was time to work on a project. Our current project was to create a CO2 model drag racer, working in pairs in order to create the most aerodynamic design. I had teamed up with Marco, Eren was with Armin, and Connie worked with Reiner. Usually, all we did in that class was mess around and just do enough to get an A, but this time, rivalry filled the air. Even though today was just a design day, we all felt a little anxious to see our cars go against each other. I figured Armin would be able to plan out an intricate design and allow Eren to do the actual hands on work, and I assumed that Reiner had some pretty good ideas, whereas Connie would be centered on the design. Not that it mattered to anyone else, but judging by Connie's VW, you could assume he thought each bumper sticker he applied gave him 5 extra horsepower. Not before long, the bell sounded and we all headed to our respective classes.

Finally, it was time for AP Literature. Of course, it just wasn't the same without Sasha. Her desk was right next to mine, and it felt weird without her constantly bugging me or jabbing me in the side with her pencil, or really doing anything silly. She was the life of the class, and although Ms. Petra kept the class entertaining, Sasha really was the star of the show. I can't even remember how many times she'd managed to bring the entire class close to tears with laughter, whether it was her reading a play in some funny accent, or just reciting some dumb poem she wrote, or even just making zingy one-liners every now and then. She was born a comedian, I swear it. Even when she wasn't trying to be funny, she just was.

Regardless, the lecture was over in no time at all, and with that I immediately headed to my locker. I didn't have much homework this weekend so I decided I'd drop off a majority of my books, only taking home my Physics and Lit book, as well as a small binder full of the notes I took for Sasha. She didn't miss much, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get every last detail for her. While I stood in the hall arranging the load of books into a semi-organized stack, I was greeted by Marco, who had the same idea as me. We finished up and headed out to the cars.

"So are you excited for tonight?" He asked, a wide smile across his face.

Honestly, I wasn't sure how I felt. I was stoked for all the festivities, but I felt a little bit of guilt in regards to Sasha. She was the one who even brought up the idea a few weeks ago, and now she was going to be stuck at home, all alone and with nothing to do. Her parents were both out of town for some sort of weekend getaway, so it was only a matter of time before she would start getting lonely. I answered Marco the best way I could.

"Eh, I guess so." I'll admit, I could have adjusted my tone a bit more, as the words came out a little too dull.

"You guess so?!" he exclaimed. "You've been hyping it up all week, and now you seem entirely uninterested."

"I know, I know. I'm sure it'll be fun. But doesn't it just seem a bit incomplete without-"

"Sasha?" he interjected, as if he were reading my mind. "I'll admit, I feel bad for her, but we can't let that get us down. We just have to have extra fun in order to make up for her absence!"

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

Making our way to the cars, it looked like everyone else had beaten us there. Everyone was getting into their respective vehicles and heading out. "Hey, want to come over for a bit before the concert starts?" Marco asked, splitting away from me and heading to his car.

"Nah, I can't. I told Sasha I'd bring her notes after class, and she also asked-"

"Let me guess, food?" Again, Marco seemingly read my mind. More likely, however, he read Sasha's mind. One of the first things anyone would associate with her would either be "food" or the state of being "hungry."

"Yeah, that too. Anyway, I ought to get going. I'll text you later."

With that, we waved at each other once more and drove out of the lot.

* * *

Not twenty minutes later and I arrived at Sasha's, backpack slung over shoulder and a bag of McDonalds in one hand, and a chocolate shake in the other. Wasting no time to get inside, I walked up to the porch and gave her a ring, as she instructed me to do so earlier. After a few cycles of beeping, she finally picked up.

"I'll be down in a minute, Jean." She said before immediately hanging up. Judging from her voice, she must've been in a pretty deep sleep. Honestly, I was surprised I was even able to wake her up. Really, I thought I was going to have to call her at least twice before she would actually wake up, but then again, she always finds little ways of surprising me. After a few moments, I heard the clank of the lock being turned, and the door swung inward. Sasha stood in the doorway, in an old T-shirt and sweatpants, her hair all messed up, and an incredibly groggy look in her eyes.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." I sarcastically remarked, a skewed grin plastered on my face. "You look like a wreck." The look on her face, a small frown and a narrowed pair of eyes, made me chuckle a bit. She obviously wasn't flattered.

"Yeah, yeah. Come in." was all she replied, turning around and heading down the hall and turning into her living room. I followed suit, closing the front door and sliding my shoes off, not really caring where they fell. I heard her plop back down onto the couch, along with a loud moan of exhaustion. She sounded almost as bad as she looked. I knew she said she was sick, but this was a bit worse than I thought. The good sign was that she was able to get up and get the door for me, so it wasn't like she was completely confined to the bed. Although thoughts of salvaging the night were lost, it was good to see her somewhat recovering.

"So what did I miss?" She replied. Before I could speak, she interjected once more. "And fork it over." She pointed to the food I held in each hand. Her face practically gleamed in delight at the sight of the food. I didn't waste a second giving it to her, and in no time she began devouring the bag's contents. I took a seat on an adjacent leather recliner. I glanced over at the television as she began flipping through some of the channels.

"You know, when I asked if you needed anything, I meant something like _medicine_ or maybe _something_ that would help you recover."

She looked back up at me "Hey, food _will_ help me get better. I haven't eaten since this morning and I was too tired to get up and make anything. In a way, this is my medicine." She gave me a cheeky smile.

I only laughed at her statement. "Even when you're sick, you still crack me up. Amazing. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"My fever went away, I think. Now I just have a small headache and a stuffy sinus. Last night was definitely much worse. It felt like a million degrees in this house." The whole time she moved her hands to different parts of her face, first her forehead, then her nose, and finishing off her sentence with a quick fanning of her hands.

"Wow, sounds rough. But at least you're doing better."

A few seconds passed while I thought of something to talk about. As much as I wanted to, I decided it would be better if I didn't talk about tonight. I couldn't imagine how guilty I'd feel if I reminded her about the plans we had tonight and all the fun we were planning on having. I figured I'd start to explain today's lecture to her, that way she wasn't completely behind. I would definitely avoid the subject of tonight's plans at all cos-

"So are you excited for the concert tonight? I bet you are. Everyone has been talking about it foreverrrr." Well, so much for avoiding the topic. I readjusted myself in the chair and looked directly at her. I thought she'd have a somewhat bittersweet look on her face, but she still smiled happily. I was sure that it wasn't just a mask, as I knew Sasha like the back of my hand. This was a genuine smile.

"Yeah, it sounds like a lot of fun. Everyone was practically glowing with excitement today." I paused a moment before making my next statement. "It's not going to feel the same without you, ya know."

"Yeah, well it's just my luck to be stuck with this fever." She replied nonchalantly. "In all honesty, I'm happy as long as you all have fun. Just try to have extra fun, just for me!"

"You know, Marco suggested the same thing today after class. I figure that's how the others feel."

"Well, good!" She said. Sasha seemed to be waking up a bit, as her massive amounts of energy finally started to pull through. "The last thing I want is for any of you to worry about me. That especially means you." She pointed her finger at me, wiggling it slightly in the air.

"For someone who's sick, you still have reserves of energy." I sighed before continuing. "But can you blame me for being worried? I feel a bit guilty about all this."

"Oh Jean" she giggled a bit before continuing "It's not like this is your fault. No need to feel guilty." She said as she laid back on the couch. "Of course, if you're feeling a little guilty, you can always do me a huuuuuuuge favor." She gave me the classic pouty look while elongating the 'huge'.

"I don't know why you bother with the look. You know I'm going to do it anyway. What is it?"

"Grab me a glass of water from the kitchen and my medication from the bathroom. It should be on the sink." She chirped at me. I got up and grabbed the medicine first, then moved over to the kitchen. There was no need to ask where everything was, since I had been over plenty of times before. I grabbed the tallest glass I could find and filled it at the water cooler. I thought about all the times I had been over, which was definitely too many times to count. I remember meeting her parents for the first time, way back in middle school, and they thought I was her crush or something. It took her _weeks_ to convince them otherwise. That was another embarrassing story we shared, though neither of us brought up.

I walked back into the living room to find her watching some crime-drama that was on, her attention only somewhat taken by it as she was checking her phone for whatever reason. Careful not to spill anything, I handed her the two pills and the water. "Don't spill any. I filled it up all the way." I figured giving Sasha fair warning was definitely not out of the question. Not just because she was sick, but naturally she could be a bit clumsy at times.

"Why thank you, Jean." She pronounced in a somewhat overly polite tone. She popped the pills, chugged a quarter of the glass, and handed the glass back to me. "Just set it on the end table behind me, please." I did as I was told, and while I was up, I grabbed my backpack and took out the notes.

"These are for you. I'll set them right here." I said as I placed the small binder on the coffee table. "Look over them when you're ready. I don't need any of the notes back until Monday so take your time."

She thanked me once more, and we began chatting about the usual. We discussed the weather, school, friends, and finally we found ourselves back on the subject for tonight. What was strange is that she kept bringing it up, each time making sure to tell me to have fun. It seemed like it was her mission to make me go and to make sure I had fun.

In no time at all, it was four thirty. It was almost time to meet everyone at the school again. We all planned on meeting there at around five, carpooling our way over to the concert (which was about a thirty minute drive or so from the school), and then having a fun filled night, not caring when we got back. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself to get ready to go, I just wanted to stay. Not just because I felt guilty for leaving Sasha behind, but because I just wanted to stay. She needed at least some company, and I figured I'd be the best for the job. Sure, I'd miss the concert, but it didn't matter to me. So I made a decision.

"Jean, look at the time," said Sasha. "You should probably be on your way soon. I know you like to be early for these kind of things so why don't you head on out. I really appreciate you stopping by. Can't wait to hear all the stories!"

"Actually, Sasha…" I started. "There's been a slight change in plans."

She looked at me quizzically before realizing what I had said "What do you mean? Are you guys meeting later now? If so, you're welcome to stay until then." She sat up and readjusted herself on the couch as I began to speak.

"Well, not exactly. The plan is still five. But let me ask something…. would I be welcome to stay all night? I'm sure you could use the comp-"

"No, absolutely not Jean Kirschtein." She gave me one of the most upfront and determined faced she could muster. "You need to go out and have fun. Not worry about me all night."

If there was one thing Sasha and I really had in common, it was our tenacity. We were both incredibly stubborn, and although we tried to avoid showing that side to each other, we both knew we possessed it, and at times like this it certainly came out.

"Sasha, I really don't mind. I want to stay here." I replied, as serious as I could be. "You're the life of the party, and without you I don't think it'd nearly be as fun."

"Jean, no. I want you to go." Her facial expression shifted slightly, revealing a more compassionate set of features. She rested her hands together in her lap, and continually glared me down.

"Sasha, no." My rebuttal mimicked her own. "I want to stay here."

"Why? You can either go to a concert with all your friends and have one of the best nights of your life, which you've been hyping up all week might I add, or you can stay here with boring, sick me, and watch crumby movies with me all afternoon and do me favors while I sit here sick. By the way, don't you think staying here all night will make you sick too?"

"Yeah, I understand the risks. I really don't care though." I honestly wasn't afraid to say this, as my immune system had always been fairly resistant. I almost never missed school or anything because of being sick. "When you word it like that though…." As I stressed the pause, Sasha seemed to relax, maybe feeling confident in her persuasion and thinking she had won. I instantly defused that when I finished my statement. "… I pick staying here with you." My lips curled into a triumphant smirk as she only sighed in defeat.

"You know you really shouldn't just abandon your friends like this."

"I know, that's why I want to stay here."

A few moments passed before she made her decision. "Alright," she composed, "If you really want to stay, you can. Don't complain to me tomorrow when you end up regretting it. Oh, and on one condition." I locked eyes with her, a devious smile and narrow eyes gracing her features. "You have to keep doing me favors."

I really expected something worse, but this was definitely manageable. "Deal!" I proudly said, "I planned on doing that anyway." We both laughed a bit at this before I continued "Let me run home quickly and grab a few things. I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

With that, I grabbed my backpack and began my journey home.

* * *

It was already seven o'clock, and everything was going relatively smoothly. Sasha seemed to be getting a little better, but not enough to be up and about too much. While I was home I grabbed a spare change of clothes, my laptop, and a few small things I would need. For the two or so hours I had been here, I didn't have to do too much for Sasha, just the usual 'get me this' or 'help me with this.' I think the most strenuous thing I had to do so far was go up to her room and grab her laptop for her. In between favors, I situated myself in the same recliner as before, my laptop in front of me and my backpack leaning against the wall behind me. We chatted and joked around for a majority of it, not having any regrets about staying. The hardest part was telling everyone that I wasn't coming. I texted Marco about the change in plans, and he certainly wasn't happy. It took a lot of explaining, but he eventually accepted it. I figured the others were okay with it, until Eren had called me out of the blue. He sounded even less enthused by my decision, practically dumbfounded by it. I figured I could say the same things to him as I did to Marco, but I knew that wouldn't work. Marco was a very understanding person. Eren was the direct opposite: blunt and somewhat closed minded, at least with things like this. So, instead of wasting any efforts on that, I hung up the phone on him, cutting him off mid-sentence. I'm sure I'd catch flak for that on Monday, but to Hell with it.

Sasha and I had been a little bit quieter for the past half hour. I had been checking my email and replying to a few school related notices, and she was wrapped up in some drama movie that was on. Once I finished the last email, I closed my laptop and secured it in my backpack, figuring I wouldn't need it for some time. The sun was just about set, and the room was almost completely dark, aside from the soft glow of the flat screen projecting toward us. I glanced over at her, and what came to mind shocked me: She looked gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and even though she still had the same old T shirt and sweatpants on from earlier, her figure looked flawless. She started to snuggle up under a light blanket, and folded her knees closer to her figure, letting out a small yawn. I'd be lying if I didn't think it was cute. I would also be lying if I didn't feel confused. Sasha was my best friend, yet here I was staring at her with what seemed like…. Lust? Like I wanted to share the same blanket with her, and like I wanted to cradle her sleepy form in my arms, as if we were a couple.

As if I loved her.

But I didn't, right? She was my best friend and I was hers. There's no chance that'd even work. I was probably just a little tired myself and started thinking a bit irrationally. Besides, I doubt she would ever feel the same way about me, even if I _did_ like her. "_I shouldn't be worrying about these trivial things._" I thought to myself.

Forcing myself from my thoughts and back into reality, I noticed something. I had been staring for quite some time. To make matters worse, it looks like I wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Jean?" she asked, a perplexed expression crossing her face. "Are….uh…. you okay? You've been staring at me and I-"

"What? I-I wasn't s-staring!" I quickly interjected, trying to cover my tracks. "I was just…. zoning out a bit is all! Yeah, that's all! Good thing I didn't go to that concert, because I'm already beat." I gave off a nervous chuckle, hoping she'd buy it. Was I really just stuttering in front of Sasha?

"Okay then, well, did you hear anything I said?"

"Oh, uh….. no." I sheepishly scratched the back of my next, completely admitting to my mistake. 'Embarrassed' was certainly an understatement of my current situation.

She let out a soft giggle at my apparent embarrassment. "You're really silly sometimes, horse-face." That certainly sparked my attention. She knew I hated that nickname, since usually it was used as an insult. She always said it, though her version contained no malice. It was just another cute nickname she gave me, along with 'Jeany-boy' and 'Sea Biscuit.' That last one always struck me as a little too odd, but it's Sasha. What could I honestly expect?

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower. My sinuses are a little clogged again and I need to open them up. Can you help me up?" She reached her arms out at me, signaling me to get up from my position and grasp her hands with my own. Her hands were soft and warm, a sensation I was certainly not accustomed too. My face began to heat up, and I tried my best to avoid her gaze, just in case my cheeks had decided to show off my feelings (not that it'd be visible in the dimly lit room, but it never hurt to take caution). Speaking of 'feelings,' I wasn't sure how I felt. I pulled her up and out of her seat, and released one of my hands, the other firmly gripping hers. Oddly enough, I didn't want to let go, and what was even stranger was that the firm grasp I gave her was returned equally by her, as if she didn't want to let go either.

Not wanting to wait too long, I led her down the hallway and into the bathroom. I reluctantly released my grasp in order to start the water for her, testing it for her comfort as it warmed. Once everything seemed satisfactory, I made my way out the door. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you, Jean." With that, I closed the door and made my way back to the living room. Reclaiming my seat on the recliner, I sat in the dark room pondering what had just happened for a few minutes. Whatever movie she had on was still going, and although it looked somewhat interesting, it felt like nothing could shake my mind off of everything I experienced. I began to piece it together.

"_Okay," _I thought. "_I really shouldn't be feeling this way, but for some reason I am. I always knew she was pretty, but why am I feeling this way all of a sudden? The way she wrapped herself in the blanket, the way she laughs at me and my dumb jokes, even the way she held my hand felt so….. Warm. Inviting, even. That has to be a mistake, though. I mean she did have a fever, so naturally she's going to feel warm. Plus, seeing as we're so close, she probably didn't feel embarrassed holding hands. Yeah, that sounds right. Right? Yeah, that."_

I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to notice the water had stopped running, and the door creaking open. I still remained seated in the dark room, completely controlled by my racing mind, and oblivious to all my senses.

"_I'll admit, though, I've never felt this way about a girl since I liked Mikasa." _I had my phone in front of me, flipping through all my pictures. I had plenty of pictures, ranging from cars, to school functions, to friends, and of course, Sasha. I came across a picture I had taken of her at the park a few months ago during the summer. She sat up against a tree, her legs stretched out and her hands neatly tucked in her lap. She was smiling at the camera, the sweetest smile I could've sworn I had ever seen. Her dark red hair was in the usual fashion; a long pony tail in back with two streaking bangs in front. It was a little simple, but unique. Everyone admired her for it, especially me. She wore a green top and a pair of denim shorts. She never like wearing anything overly elegant, although the dress she wore during Junior Prom was definitely gorgeous on her. I had plenty pictures from that night too.

I began flipping through the digital memories the device held, however I specifically hovered longer over the ones with Sasha in it. I was completely unaware of the gentle footsteps that made their way down the hallway, stepping closer and closer to the room. Finally, her soft voice captivated my attention. "Jean, are you still awake?"

"Yeah, coming!" I replied, making my way hastily toward the hallway. She was probably stuck in the bathroom without a towel or something, so I wasted no time rounding the corner. Just as I reached its apex, I crashed into a warm, wet figure. I stumbled over, falling flat onto the ground. Something had stopped me. I began to inspect the damage as I slightly lifted myself away from the object with my arms. I was now in 'sit-up' position, hovering over the long, slender, foreign object. What was this? I could barely see, as the hallway light was dimmed to a relatively low level. My eyes hadn't fully adjusted, trying to make out the silhouette that appeared beneath me. In a moment's notice, I received my answer.

"Jean, are you okay?" That was it. It was Sasha. Sasha was what I bumped into. Sasha was the one I fell over top of. Sasha was what laid beneath me, my face now mere inches away hers. It took a few seconds for the situation to fully set in, and judging from the look in her face, it was the same for her. The same embarrassed feeling I had felt earlier had returned, this time tenfold. The lights above had finally begun warming up, as they became a little brighter with each passing second. Along with the lights, I too became warmer, my face practically burning with red. Sasha's face was enduring the same effect, as her cheeks now blushed with a soft, rosy red. Did this mean she felt the same feeling as me? What if what I was feeling wasn't just embarrassment, but also lo-

"Uh, say, Jean. Are you…. Um… o-okay?" Again, her voice was the only thing able to break my thoughts.

I quickly regained control of myself. "Oh, uh, y-yeah. Never been…. Better…" I trailed off the last bit of my statement, once again captivated by her golden orbs, her slender figure which was trapped by my own build. I tried to contain myself as much as possible, now noticing that all she left the bathroom with was a fresh towel, casually wrapped around her upper half. One hand kept the towel in place, where the other one had planted itself upon my chest. It wasn't hovering over it, but it applied no pressure in any attempts to remove me, as if it intended to remain there, longing for any sort of touch.

We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed for an eternity before reality once again came crashing down. I quickly lifted myself up off of Sasha, kneeling down beside her. I gave her my hand, and she took it, firmly grasping it as I pulled her up to her feet. "Sorry about that," was all I could mutter, still grasping her one hand with my own. It was the same sensation as before: It felt as if neither one of us desired to let go.

"It's okay. I, uh, probably should've been more careful too." She paused a bit, continuing to stare me down. She had a shy expression showing, her cheeks somewhat beginning to cool off from the previous encounter. I wish I could've said the same, since my cheeks still burned intensely.

"Uh…. Don't worry about it. I sorta rounded that corner a bit too suddenly…"

"Well, it's o-okay. Uh…" she shifted her stare from my face to our hands, still interlocked. As much as I didn't want to, I quickly unlaced my fingers from hers and brought my hands up in a defensive gesture. "Ah, sorry about that!" I exclaimed. "Why did you come out only in…. that." I haphazardly pointed toward the towel. "Did you need anything?"

"Oh, yeah actually. I was hoping you could've grabbed a clean set of clothes for me. I had them folded in my room, but I completely forgot about them." She started moving toward the stairs, continuing her thoughts as she moved upward. "I thought you had fallen asleep or something so I decided to get them myself. I had no idea you heard me."

"I almost didn't. I sorta zoned out again." I shyly chuckled at this. Now I could understand why she had all these goofy nicknames for me. In times like these, I was just a goof. Apparently, she felt the same, as I received a small laugh from my comment.

"No harm done. Let me go change. I'll be down in a minute." With that, I let her about her business. Just as I entered the living room, I heard her shout one last remark down the stairs. "Oh, Jeany-boy, could you order a pizza? I have money in the kitchen."

Usually I'd have some sort of sarcastic remark, but this time I simply smirked at the comment. "Sure, what kind?" Wait, I did have a sarcastic remark in reserve. "I don't think potato is an option for toppings."

"Oh shut up!" she shouted back playfully. "Just get anything, really. I'll eat anything."

As the sound of her shutting door faintly echoed down the halls and throughout the house, I quietly commented to myself. "Isn't that the truth…"

* * *

It was roughly nine o'clock now. It didn't take long for Sasha to come back down, this time in another pair of sweatpants and a different T shirt, but she was missing something. I had changed out of my jeans and instead worse a pair of athletic shorts, yet kept the same shirt on. While we watched another movie, this one being a bit of a chick-flick, she made a comment about how cold she felt and how she was sad that all her jackets were still in the basement, packed away for the summer. I reached into my backpack and threw her my orange hoodie, which she knew was my favorite.

"You sure you don't mind it getting all germy?"

"It's fine. I can always wash it." Given my full permission she sat up and threw it on. Granted, it was a little too big for her, but she kind of looked cute in the oversized jacket. She laid back down, and not another five minutes passed until she made another comment, this one much more striking.

"Jean, I'm still kind of cold."

"Do you want another blanket?"

"I don't think that'll do me much good now. Do you mind if…." She paused for a moment, as if she had to fully compose herself in order to ask the question. "Do you mind if you could sit next to me? Maybe share the blanket?"

Once again, for the third time tonight, redness swelled my cheeks. I wasn't quite sure how to respond, because at this point I was almost certain that whatever I felt for Sasha was _definitely_ more than just friends. Just in case, I decided to test the waters once more.

"Sure," was all I could muster as I approached the sofa. I sat down gently beside her, about half a foot gap in between. She threw the blanket over me, and leaned her body into mine, her legs still folded up on the cushion. Her head rested on my shoulder, first tilting in and out trying to find the most comfortable position before finally settling down. She looked up at me with her beautiful orbs, a smirk across her lips, and nearly whispered "Is this okay?"

"Yeah, it's perfect." My last remark apparently pleased her, as she redirected her view toward the television, a confident grin still placed upon her glossy lips. My gaze, however, remained on her. I couldn't stop admiring everything about her, both inside and out. Every last bit of her was beautiful, and at that moment I made a decision:

I was in love with Sasha Braus.

All the years we spent as friends meant a lot to me. I cared deeply for Sasha, but I never thought it would come to this. I wondered if really all this time, subconsciously, I felt a yearning desire to be her lover. I knew we were still young, and maybe 'love' was a bit too strong to use, but I felt as if it summed up my feelings perfectly. I was never too great at reading other people, though, and I had to find out if she felt the same. I knew rushing something so delicate could spell disaster for our friendship, but patience was never one of my virtues. I wanted to hatch a plan, but decided that for once, I'd let this pan out. Tonight, I hoped to find an answer to the question: Did she care for me in the same way I cared for her?

Slowly, but surely, I would find out. Tonight would be the night where either my suspicions would blossom into something much greater, or wither away to nothing more than another embarrassing story.

"So, let me ask you something." She inquired, "Are you happy? I mean tonight, that is. Are you glad you stayed behind with me?"

Truth be told, I completely forgot about the concert, my other friends, and the decision to stay I made earlier this afternoon. I received a few texts and pictures from some of them, including a picture of Eren perched in a tree, the next picture showing him on the ground, flat on his ass (Sasha and I laughed uncontrollably at that), but other than the sparse communication I had with them over the course of the night, I hadn't thought of them once.

"I'm more than happy." I replied, as sly and as confident as I could. "I wouldn't have traded it for anything. It's like I said before, you're the real life of the party. I've had a great time here tonight."

"Well I'm glad you decided to stay." Her vision once again shifted up at mine. "I know you missed out on your plans just for me, and I didn't know if you were still content with that decision."

Still looking down into her passionate gaze, I continued on. "Believe me, this was a fantastic night."

"Yeah," she whispered. "You know, I've always wanted a night like this."

"Like what? We've hung out on Friday nights plenty of times." Although I wasn't completely oblivious to what she was hinting toward, I still found it a little hard to believe. I decided to probe onward, as opposed to being too direct from the start.

"Well, yeah, but not like this." She leaned a bit more into me as she progressed, obviously finding it difficult to put her thoughts into words. Whatever she planned on saying was exactly that: planned, as if she understood the delicacy of the situation and, like myself, didn't want to make any backward progress. I wanted to help her along, but instead I opted to watch instead. I wanted to see exactly where she was going with this. "I've always wanted a night spent together with someone important to me. A night where all we did was watch movies and order food and not go out. Just a night to ourselves." She paused, before finalizing her thoughts. "Of course, I always imagined I'd end up doing this with a boyfriend."

I felt a compelling urge to press onward, but again, I opted to take the subtle approach. "Boyfriend? You never talk about that kind of stuff. I didn't know you were looking for a boyfriend."

"Well, I haven't been actively looking for a while. I just decided to let them come to me, I guess. But as you can tell, it hasn't worked out so well." Her tone wasn't somber, yet it wasn't sarcastic or joking. She was serious, yet at the same time, it was a carefree sense of significance. She didn't specifically care of the subject at hand. That last part, though, felt a bit deeper than it normally would've been.

"What do you mean 'hasn't worked out for you'? I guarantee there are plenty of guys that are into you." I paused before deciding to try and lighten the mood. "Don't tell me you _still_ have that fan-girlish crush on Yaeger."

I could've sworn I felt her flinch at this. "Hey, I dropped that years ago!" I just laughed at her for it, obviously meaning nothing by my comment. It's true; Sasha had a crush on Eren way back when. It was almost funny to watch sometimes, but what struck me as odd is that no matter what she did for him, Eren just never caved into her. I didn't get it at all. Sasha was totally into him, but he never felt the same way one bit. I remember confronting him about it, and all he said was _"It's not that Sasha isn't a great girl, it's just that I've already found someone greater, to me at least."_ I never found out who that was about, and for all I know he could still be harboring feelings for whomever. Again, I wondered if somehow Sasha was linked to the rivalry we shared. It was painfully obvious that Mikasa had also fueled that rivalry for a while.

"Besides, you've got no room to talk. You had that crush on Mikasa for how many years? You didn't notice any of the girls around you." Speak of the devil. I figured she'd bring it up.

Swiftly, I provided a rebuttal. "Alright, touché. I see you've made your point."

"Anyway" she continued "No, I don't have feelings for him. I like someone else thank-you-very-much."

"Alright, who is it?"

"What?"

"Tell me." She only pouted and looked away, redirecting her gaze toward the television. "You can't bring it up and _not_ tell me. I _am _your best friend after all."

"I'll tell you some other time. I plan on making a move soon, so I'll tell you then."

"Oh lord." I replied "I can only imagine what kind of plans you'll get me wrapped up into this time."

"When have I ever put you into any sort of awkward position, Jean?" She leaned away from me in order to gain a full view of my face, ready for my response.

"Hm…." I pondered aloud. "Almost two hours ago when you got out of the sho-"

"Can it, Kirschtein." We both got a bit of a chuckle out of the witty exchange. One thing was clear; she did in fact like someone. Was it me? Maybe, but I certainly wasn't any more sure than I was before. I decided to drop the subject for now and press onward with the night.

* * *

Eleven o'clock signaled the end of the movie. I was lost for a majority of the plot, but all I was sure of was that the good guy ended up with the beautiful girl in the end. It felt kind of ironic, really, as I was hoping for the same outcome. Throughout the movie, Sasha and I pointed out things we thought were romantic, but more often than that we pointed out things that were overly cheesy. We were torn between two of the most cliché parts: One was the scene where the main character stood in the rain apologizing to the girl before finalizing the exchange with a kiss, and the other was the scene where the guy saw his 'dream girl' in nothing more than a towel after she took a shower. Once again, irony struck back. I knew these movies were cliché, but maybe it was like that for a reason. Maybe the things that were over popularized and stereotyped were like that because they worked. That'd certainly explain tonight.

I looked down at the figure beneath me. Although not much could be seen through the dim shining of the television, it was apparent that she had fallen asleep. I figured the medicine she had taken about an hour ago was now fully in effect. Her breathing had steadied to a slow, reserved rate. Her eyes had been shut for the past fifteen minutes of the movie, though when I inquired about it earlier she quietly replied "I'm up," as if she didn't want to fall asleep just yet. Her right hand had a firm grip on the sleeve of my shirt, and I had my doubts that it could be removed without excessive force, waking her, and/or causing harm to my shirt. Regardless, I figured tonight was finally at an end. I sort of felt disappointed in the fact that the night was over, but the spectacle in front of me made up for that. Her sleeping form was just as beautiful as ever, yet the overriding sense of peace that filled her being felt a bit foreign to her personality, but certainly welcome.

I didn't expect her to sleep down here with me, so I gracefully began sitting up and moving off of the couch, careful not to wake her. I gently bent down and hoisted her up, carrying her bridal style, and set forth toward the stairs. It was funny, really. This morning Sasha Braus was nothing more than a childhood friend. The memories we had spent together were nothing more than friendly anecdotes we could remind each other of or pass along to our friends. As I began my ascent, I recalled the idea that possibly every memory we shared, all the nicknames, the smartass remarks, the pictures, events, and even tonight were all part of something greater. Maybe we both subconsciously liked each other, and tonight, at least for me, triggered something. I had finally come to my decision. I'll admit, Sasha wasn't as angelic as Christa, or as smart as Mikasa, or as athletic as Annie, but Sasha was her own blend of all three of these things. She was the perfect middle ground, with her own predominant traits. There were a few things Sasha could do better than all three combined, such as archery (one of her many hobbies), and there were also a number of traits she possessed over all three girls combined, including her outgoing personality and bold outlook on life, but the one thing Sasha had over all three of these girls was my heart. In an instant, she stole it. The hard part was figuring out when exactly she had taken it. Was it tonight, or did tonight only serve as an awakening of the fact? Only time would tell.

I made my way up the stairs and entered her room. Luckily, she had left the door open from earlier, making it much easier to make my way inside. Her room was painted in a lime green color with white tint, most of the furnishing matching the color scheme, though there was more white than green. She had a glass desk which served as her designated work area, whether it be school related work or just independent work. She always sent me these stories, which I revised and critiqued for her. One thing we both shared was a natural gift in writing. She was always better at descriptive stories, whereas I was always better at a more informative approach. Either way, we thoroughly enjoyed sending each other our works, and it was funny to imagine how many ideas had met paper or keyboard on that desk, and how many of those thoughts I've read.

Making it to her bed solely by the light of the moon piercing through the opened shades, I lifted up the covers, and gently slipped her underneath. Her grip on my shirt had relinquished itself moments before, which made my job a lot easier. Once I had her situated in what appeared to be a comfortable position, I drew the sheets over her, careful not to disturb her at all. I wasn't sure why I was so worried, as Sasha was once again a heavy sleeper, but I imagine it was just instinct. I glanced over her sleeping form once more. She had let her hair down during the movie, and it flowed freely around the soft mounds supporting her. I wished I could watch her a bit longer, just to continually admire the beauty before me, but I decided to not be a creep tonight. Instead I began to turn away.

I hadn't even managed two steps before I felt my arm being held back in its previous position. I looked back, expecting it to maybe be snagged on something, but instead what I found was certainly different. Sasha was grabbing me by the wrist, and tugging me toward the bed.

"Jean, it's a little cold in here." She paused, as if really having to put thought into her next set of words. "Do you mind sleeping in here tonight?" She asked in a silent whisper. I was absolutely perplexed by this idea, and immediately replied.

"I think the real question is if _you_ mind it."

"I don't."

"You want me, Jean, to sleep in your bed tonight with you?

"Yeah." Her responses were a clear indicator of her grogginess. She didn't feel like explaining herself, and obviously she felt fine with the idea of sleeping with me at her side, so I agreed.

"Sure." I whispered in compliance. I lifted the heavy blanket for a second time that night, this time sliding myself underneath. Sasha moved over a bit to give me enough room, and then inched closer to me once I was situated. The moonlight only provided enough light to distinguish silhouettes and certain facial features, which gave me an advantage, as I was worried she'd notice my blushing cheeks and sheepish expression.

"Thank you, this means a lot." She whispered, this time only inches away from my face.

"It really does. To both you and me."

"What do you mean?" She asked quizzically. I could tell that she was still tired, but she was awake enough to make coherent statements. What I was about to do was take a massive leap into unchartered territory, but I had a hunch. It all made sense to me now. What was happening now, everything she said earlier about the 'perfect night,' the comfort she had around me after the shower incident, and even the decision to let me stay here in the first place all hinted at something greater. Like I stated before, I was terrible at reading other people, but this time I was confident in my abilities. It was now or never.

"Sasha, I like you."

"Yeah, I know that already."

"No, I mean…. _Love_ you."

"You….. What?" She sat up almost instantly, obviously startled by my words. I couldn't back down now, so I too raised my figure, ready to face victory or defeat right in the eyes. Those beautiful, moonlit eyes.

"I thought about it all night, and I finally get it. I think I love you, Sasha. Somewhere deep down, I think I always have, but tonight finally made me realize the extent of my feelings toward you."

She paused, most likely unsure how to process this information. Part of me regrets my decision to tell her, especially now of all times. I could have enjoyed a perfect night alongside a perfect girl and had no repercussions from it at all. I could've woken up alongside her beautiful figure and her energetic morning attitude, but now it looks like I'd be kicked out any minute, never to share the same bond as I had before with her. I was doomed, and judging by the way her lips parted, ready to give me the news, I had about five seconds before I would be evicted. All that cliché stuff in movies must've really been just that: cliché. No girl would ever really fall for any of that. Well, with any luck at least some of our friendship would be salvageable. I just wish for once things would go my wa-

"Jean, I'm so glad you said that!" She wrapped her arms around me, embracing my figure as we both fell back down onto the mattress. She inched away,, though not by much, and cupped my check with her hand. "You're the guy I was talking about earlier. For a while now, I thought that maybe we could be something more than just friends, and tonight really made me believe it. Jean, I love you too."

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. My lips were parted in shock, my eyes wide in disbelief. I was actually right. Sasha had felt the same way all along. The reality of the situation slowly sunk in, and before I could pick the appropriate response, Sasha picked it for me. Her lips came crashing into mine, and stayed put for what seemed like forever. Finally parting way, she was the first to speak up. "So, would you like to be the guy I can spend lonely Friday nights with?"

"Sure, but they won't be so lonely you know."

We kissed one final time before laying back down, this time in a more compassionate pose. She faced away from me, her back pressed against my torso, my figure spooning her as we lulled each other to sleep. Her breathing slowed, and not long after she was fast asleep. It had been quite a night, and I hadn't regretted and bit of it for a second. With my mind finally toning it down a notch, I too fell fast asleep.

* * *

Saturday mornings never came so abruptly. I was woken up by the sounds of Sasha jumping up and down around the room, practically livid with excitement. I cracked open my eyes as she flung the covers off of me in an attempt to get me up.

"I'm cured!" She shouted with glee. "I'm back at one hundred percent, and it's all thanks to you, Jean!"

I was about to get up with her and congratulate her, but as I began to sit up, an overwhelming pain shot through my head. I grasped my head instinctively, which didn't go unnoticed by Sasha, who now had a concerned look across her face.

"Whats wrong? Are you okay?"

It didn't take long to notice that my sinuses where now clogged, thus forcing me to breathe through my mouth. Despite getting enough sleep last night, I felt exhausted, and just moving my joints felt excruciatingly tiring. Everything felt much warmer than it did last night, too.

"Hardly." I replied, "I feel awful. I feel kind of dizzy, and exhausted, and everything feels so warm. Plus my nose is all stuffed up."

Sasha's hand graced my forehead, and after a few seconds, she came to a verdict. "Hm…." She started, "I think you're-"

"Don't say it." Knowing what she was about to infer.

"Jean, I think you're-"

"Nope."

"Jean, you sound awful. I guarantee you-"

"Not a chance."

"You're sick." She finally managed to unveil. Sad thing was she was right, too. Piecing everything together only meant one thing. I had whatever she had yesterday.

"So much for your _mighty _immune system." She said with a smirk. "Do you regret staying now?" She asked somewhat sarcastically, yet still interested in hearing my answer.

I managed to smirk before getting my point across. "Not a chance." I paused for a moment, staring into those golden orbs now illuminated by the freshly risen sun. "I'll grab my things and be out of your hair in a few." I started to climb out of bed before she came over to my side and pushed me back down onto the bed.

"Oh no you don't, mister. You're staying here today so I can help you get better."

I wasn't sure if this was the best friend or girlfriend part of her speaking now, but it didn't matter to me. "What if you get sick again? I'm not going to be the cause of that."

"Well, if you don't mind me quoting you 'I know the risks but I don't care,' so there." Her voice, as sweet as it could be, was twisted into a mocking rendition of my own as she playfully recited the same words I muttered yesterday. I knew I wouldn't be able to persuade her otherwise, especially since I was already right where she wanted me. I was in her house, her bed, and now my wellness was in her hands.

"Fine." I said in defeat, not really looking forward to a day of being sick. At least I'd have Sasha around to keep me from being bored. Once again, irony proved to be a cruel mistress.

"Well, I'll go get the medicine. Stay here for now and rest up. I'll make breakfast. Okay, Jeany-boy?" She giggled at her final remark. Somehow, despite everything that had happened last night, and how obviously grateful she was for it, she still felt triumphant in saying that she was right all long. If I hadn't of stayed, I most likely wouldn't have gotten sick.

"Just don't make anything with potatoes in it, alright cutie?" That was all the sarcasm I could muster up before dropping back down onto the mattress and letting out a sigh of defeat. For once, my immune system had let me down. To think, I could have avoided this and had a fun filled night of not getting sick, but you know, despite my current condition, I meant what I said last night. Spending the night with Sasha was perfect. I'd never trade it for anything.

Before she exited the room, I called out once more. "Hey Sasha, can you do me a favor?" She spun around to meet my gaze.

"What do you need?"

"Can you make it Facebook-official?"

Sasha sighed as she brought her hand to her face. "Honestly, I thought it was something important…." I looked back at her, trying to imitate the look she'd give me when she wanted something. "That isn't going to work, Jean. Your 'puppy' look needs some work…" despite her opinion, I pressed on, clasping my hands together in a mock display of begging. "Alright, I'll do it after breakfast."

With that, I smiled victoriously and took my place in bed, finding the most comfortable position. Seeing as I was going to be here for a while, I figured I might as well make myself cozy. I took my phone off the nearby end table and began searching all the social media sites for pictures and statuses about last night's festivities. It looked like a lot of fun, and I wish I could've gone, but there was still zero regret in my actions. I was completely content with what I had done, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

For I, Jean Kirschtein, was now in a relationship with the one and only Sasha Braus, and life never seemed better.

(Thank you all for reading! If you really enjoyed it, there is a part 2 out now, titled "20 Questions." It picks up right where this one left off, so go check it out when you get the chance! I always appreciate the views, the reviews, and of course, your humble support. If you'd like to keep track of all my work, check out my tumblr page (Search of "coolguyjean" on the site. For some odd reason I cannot post a link) Once again, thank you for the read! I hope you enjoyed it!)


	2. Chapter 2: 20 Questions

Unbelievable: The only word that could describe this already dreary turn of events. Yesterday was everything I could have ever wanted, and then some. Sure, I missed the concert and all my friends, but I _did _manage to finally unravel the secrets of my subconscious and confess to the love of my life, who was hidden as my best friend the entire time, so that was a win. I still felt zero regrets about the whole thing, ranging from my decision to stay, all the way to this morning when I was awoken by her bright, beautiful figure bouncing around the room with glee at her recent recovery (which was all thanks to me, of course). Despite all of these recent triumphs, today was not my day, as fate, irony, and of course my _impenetrable_ immune system let me down.

I guess in the short run, though, it wasn't going to matter. My wellbeing was currently in the hands of Sasha and I wasn't about to complain. Well, about being with Sasha all day, that is. I hated being sick, and I was going to complain about that as much as possible, even if it was just to pick on Sasha a little. If she fell for me, that means she fell for my blunt and perpetual sense of sarcasm, and she was just going to have to deal with it. In all seriousness, I wasn't the least bit worried. If anything, this just gave me another reason to spend an entire day with Sasha, alone, with no intrusions, and with absolutely zero chance of confusing emotions amassing throughout the course of my recovery; seeing as we already figured that part out yesterday.

It had been an hour since I had awoken, only to find myself in this predicament. It was now nine o'clock, and I was still lying in between the heavy covers and soft mattress, surrounded by the furnishings and lime walls of Sasha's room. As far as I knew she was still making breakfast, and although I certainly wasn't looking to eat something heavy, I would almost never turn down Sasha's cooking. She was always baking something for someone's birthday or whipping up something from scratch for her own amusement, and whenever I was called in as an unofficial taste tester I could never turn it down. I assumed she had been down there for at least half an hour, and if she was really putting all that time into cooking for me his morning, I most definitely could not wait for whatever she had made up.

Over the past hour I had resumed communications with the rest of my friends, mostly concerning the previous night's festivities. Marco was the first to contact me, texting me a bit about what I missed. Apparently everyone had an amazing time, which was great, but certainly couldn't compare to my night. There were a few intriguing stories that made their way to me, though. Supposedly, Reiner had almost ended up in a fight with some random stranger over nothing more than a spilt drink, Connie had run off with some 'mystery girl' the entire night and was nowhere to be seen until the end, and most shocking of all, Annie had begun pressuring Eren into kicking their friendship _up a notch,_ which certainly didn't sit well with Mikasa. Apparently they almost tussled over that, which seemed odd to me. I understand that Mikasa has always been overly protective of her adoptive brother, but you'd think she'd be all for him finally getting _somewhere _with a girl. The fact that she was trying to protect him to this extent was just….. Odd. Maybe there was more to it, and honestly I stopped myself before my thoughts could pry more into it, seeing as it was none of my business. To help alleviate my thoughts, the turning of the knob and swinging of the door signaled Sasha's return, and to much of my delight, she brought food.

"Oh," she looked at me quizzically. "You're still up. I thought you'd be asleep by now."

I sat up casually, resting my head on the wooden backboard. "How could I sleep when I knew you were making me one of your bangin' meals?"

She only sighed as she continued her slow, careful stride toward me, tray in hand. "Honestly, I'm not that good at cooking…."

"That's a lie and you know it. Your cooking is god-teir." I gave her a casual smirk and she only sighed deeper.

"Jean, don't use up all your energy flattering me."

"Too late." I yawned and stretched my arms in a fake display of fatigue. Once again, Sasha could only continue with an audible display of her astonishment. I wasn't surprised at this, as she was now forced into taking care of me; the most brutally sarcastic individual on the planet.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, a bit of concern reaching her tone. It was somewhat amusing to see Sasha care this much, and although I was still confused as to what side of Sasha was being shown to me right now, I was most certainly grateful for everything she had been doing for me.

"Fine, I think." I replied. "My headache is starting to go down a little bit and my fever seems to be going down too, but my sinuses are still stuffed."

Sasha had set everything down on the nearby desk as she adjusted a few of the tray's contents. "Well that's great! You'll be better in no time!" She practically lit up at the news, her energetic attitude shining outwardly, smile and golden orbs fully widened.

It appeared as if Sasha had also squeezed in a shower while I was in bed, signified by her refreshed appearance. Her auburn brown hair was back in its usual style; a pony tail in back with two long bangs hanging down each side of her face. She also changed into something more 'presentable' than the clothes she wore the previous day, this time wearing a green top and long blue jeans. The temperature was supposedly dropping today, so it was no wonder she was ditching the shorts. I'd be doing the same with my own wardrobe shortly.

"Well, here you go. I made it just the way you like it!" It was now my turn to return the questioning gaze as I was now confused. I wasn't entirely sure as to how she knew my 'preference' when it came to breakfast, but I guess there was no use questioning it. Whatever she made would be perfect, even if it wasn't my favorite arrangement of breakfast foods. Honestly, she could pour a bowl of cereal for me, and somehow it'd taste a million times better. Granted, that could be the 'girlfriend' side once again showing, but I liked to imagine that it was her 'natural chef' side casually seeping its way into everyday life. She sat down at the edge of the bed as she set the tray on my still covered lap. I gazed down upon the meal; a full plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and oddly enough a pair of biscuits, as opposed to toast. Despite what I might have said previously, I was definitely hungry now, and I knew this whole serving would be gone in an instant.

"Wow, Sasha, you really outdid yourself this time!" A small blush crept its way across her cheeks. She smiled back at my remark before I continued. "I'm confused about the biscuits though. Out of bread?"

"Nah, I just figured that you'd like those more, _Sea Biscuit_." I should have known she was going to pull that one on me.

"Already starting with that? We've only been dating for ten hours and you're already at nicknames…"

"Hey, I've _always_ called you that!" She pouted a bit at me as I began digging into the meal, first tackling the eggs. As expected, everything seemed cooked to perfection, as nothing was under or over cooked, and all the tastes blended flawlessly with each bite. "Besides," she continued. "I don't think I can come up with anything better than that, so don't expect any sort of change." Still keeping her arms folded across her chest, she relaxed her facial features to a more complacent tone.

"Well, I don't expect you to, potat-"

"Okay that one has to go!" She cut me off midsentence, playfully disturbed by my use of the old nickname. "If you want me to take care of you _properly_ today, you have to come up with a better name than that."

"Hey, if you get to use all of my old nicknames, I get to use that one." I only smiled as I finished up the remnants of my meal. As I finished, she took the tray and headed toward the door.

"Fair enough. Still, I'd think of something better." She casually remarked, pausing in the doorway. "Get some rest, Jean. I'll be around, so shout if you need anything. Once you're up, we can move downstairs if you'd like."

Sasha left the room, her footsteps echoing as she progressed down the stairs and into the kitchen. With all current distractions gone, I laid back down upon the bed and closed my eyes, in hopes of catching some sort of rest in a seemingly futile attempt to rid myself of my illness. I had taken a dosage of medication shortly after I woke up, and it felt as if it was finally starting to fully take effect. Sleep began to overcome me, and I could feel myself slowly drifting away.

* * *

The chirping of birds and piercing rays of midday sunlight awoke me from my shallow slumber. I didn't really catch much sleep, considering I had fallen asleep around nine thirty and it was only noon. Despite the short rest, it was better than nothing I figured. As I slowly sat up, the previous pain I felt coursing through my head remained, though decreased. My fever had certainly relinquished its grasps on me, and my sinuses felt like they began to lose pressure. In my books, I was getting better. I could probably just about recover by the end of the day, but what would be the fun in that? I had a whole day of having Sasha take care of me, and I certainly wanted to utilize it to the fullest.

I was so fortunate for everything that was currently transpiring. I really hit the jackpot, and I knew it was in my best interest not to take it for granted. Not just the fact that I was spending an entire day, alone, with my dream girl, but the fact that I could call Sasha my 'dream girl' openly and get away with it was certainly a welcomed addition to my life. I had vowed long ago to always remind my girlfriend how special she was to me, and not take anything she did for granted. Admittedly, at the time of that promise, I had always thought of Mikasa being the girl I'd be reminding of my love, but I would do the same for Sasha, and then some.

"Speaking of Sasha," I pondered aloud. "I wonder if she's downstairs…" I slowly rose up from the bed, stretching my legs and arms, yawning in the process. I hadn't even been out of bed since last night, so my muscles were certainly in need of a good stretch. I exited the room and made it to the stairs, descending with utmost care; my hand firmly grasping the wooden banister as I deliberately glanced at my feet while I took each step. I felt much better than I did this morning, but I still wasn't nearly fully recovered, and I certainly didn't want to delay my progress by falling down a full flight of stairs.

Although slower than usual, I made it down the stairs, the sounds of my wonderful girlfriend echoing down the hallway. She was in the kitchen, singing some upbeat tune, and as much as I cared to listen to her soft, cascading voice, I decided to head in and see what she was doing.

"_Hopefully not lunch already." _I unbelievably thought to myself. _"I'm still full from breakfast."_

There she was, hunched over the counter, scrubbing away at the dark, granite surface. I recalled her parents always nagging her about keeping everything clean, especially when she cooked. What struck me as odd was that she had prepped breakfast hours ago, and she was _still_ cleaning. There was no way. With this question in mind, as well as my own interests in spending time with her, I decided to alert her of my presence. I slowly crept up on her, my light footsteps barely making a sound. As she twisted her body, I too shuffled in the opposite direction in order to avoid her peripheral vision. I was only a couple feet out when I made my move. I sprang into action, wrapping my arms around her waist quickly and securely. She let out an audible squeak as I made contact, finalizing my actions by nuzzling my head in the crook of her neck, "I'm up" being the only words I muttered in my hushed, deep tone.

"I can see that, Jean!" She started, still trying to catch her breath after the recent scare. "Don't scare me like that, idiot!" I could only laugh at her, and not before long she too joined in. In situations like this, even when she tried to pursue a serious persona, it only ended in her laughing. Sasha was very rarely a serious person, only calling upon it when the times truly depended on it. "What are you doing out of bed, and why didn't you call me when you woke up?"

"You said we could move downstairs when I woke up, so here I am." She tried to squirm away from my grasp, and I only solidified my position, firm on keeping my arms wrapped around her delicate waistline. She tried to walk around a bit, and I only followed her where she went, which wasn't far of course.

She continued scrubbing what appeared to be the final section of countertop. "Well, yeah," She said in a somewhat stressed tone as she scrubbed vigorously. "I figured you'd _call me_ first, that way we could get you situated down here, and so I could help you down the stairs. Oh, and not scare me half to death with your antics."

"You know you love them." I only chuckled at my assertion, while Sasha only retaliated with a sigh. She couldn't deny it, and that was totally fine with me. "Besides, why are you still cleaning? You made breakfast hours ago."

I finally undid my grasp on her, casually leaning up against the countertop next to her. Satisfied with her work, she tossed the sponge into the sink and began drying her hands on a dry cloth. "I've been cleaning all morning, and I just now made it to the kitchen. I had to make sure the house was organized and germ free." She glanced up at me, an innocent set of features reflecting onto me. "Which, now they aren't." she said while looking at me, implying that I was at fault.

"Hey, germs are everywhere. Beside, you were already sick once so I doubt you'll get sick aga-"

"Don't you dare jinx it, Jean!" She cut me off with such ferocity, as if she truly believed that I would push fate to its limits and get her sick again. Sure, _technically_ I had jinxed myself yesterday when I said my immune system was 'impenetrable,' but that was just a coincidence. Still, I went along with her game.

"Alright, alright, I won't jinx you. Though…." I paused, thinking of a way to contradict her. Satisfied with what I had conjured, I continued, this time in an overly sarcastic tone. "I guess we won't be spending much time together today, you know cuddling and kissing and all, just in case. I wouldn't want you to get sick."

"Oh no, there will be plenty of room for that." She walked closer toward me with each word, until finally cupping my cheeks with her soft, gentle hands. Without a moment to question it, she kissed me on the lips. I returned the kiss, only to break away after a few seconds. Her hands had moved from my cheeks and now rested upon my broad shoulders, as if she was the one holding me captive by her touch this time. "I win, so don't even try to argue with it." Another admirable trait of Sasha was her assertiveness. Couple that with her tenacity, and she was practically as stubborn as me. Though, usually her assertive nature, especially now that we were dating, was just adorable.

I gazed into her eyes, a not-so-serious set of emotions across her face, including her slightly tinged cheeks. I was sure that my cheeks were burning as well, but I wasn't so sure if it was because of Sasha or because of my illness. Coming to the conclusion that it was most likely both, I finally replied. "No arguments here."

"Good." She muttered that one simple word before grasping my hand and leading me into the living room. She guided me toward the couch, releasing her gentle grasp only to pull the covers out of the way. "Lay down." That was all she had, and I complied. I laid against the armrest, wedging a pillow in between, and stretched my legs, almost touching the other end of the furnishing. Before I could tell Sasha to stretch out next to me, she did so, as if she had read my mind. Saying she was positioned next to me would be a lie, as she was more so _on top_ _of me, _but I wasn't upset by this. She threw the covers over us, grabbed the television remote off of the nearby end table, and began flipping through the channels.

"Any preference?" She asked, with a bit of a playful tone surrounding the words. She was now looking back at me, her face inches from mine. Seemingly out of instinct, I pecked her on the side of her cheek, which sent a sensation of warmth through her now red cheeks.

"It's your call." Sasha seemed satisfied with the answer, as she found another romance movie to watch. If I had known this was going to be her pick, I probably would have made a suggestion, but honestly I didn't care. At this rate, the movie was irrelevant, as it felt like I was already in a romance movie, and I was the star.

* * *

The past few hours were certainly interesting, or rather, as interesting as lying on the couch for so long could be. It was now three o'clock, and within that time, Sasha finally fulfilled my request and made our relationship 'Facebook-official.' I had said it earlier as more of a joke, but I certainly didn't mind our unity being publicly known. Within the first ten minutes of our status being updated, we received tons of 'likes' and 'comments' from all of our friends, most embarrassingly my mother. I had to end up calling her about it and telling her that I was staying over Sasha's today, as I had forgotten to do so earlier this morning. Sasha found the need to reply to everyone with the utmost sincerity, whereas I totally refused to reply to them. It wasn't because I didn't appreciate it; in fact it was quite the contrary. I just figured that if Sasha was going to thank everyone it would be more efficient if she gave them my thanks as well. She called me lazy, whereas I see myself as an innovator. The only one who I felt the need to fully reply to was Marco, but that's because he was my closest friend out of all of them. Eren, despite feeling happy for me, surprisingly didn't make a scene out of the ordeal. No, instead he gave that job to Connie, who insisted in asking for details as to "How Jean managed to woo over Sasha," along with a few other personal inquiries. I didn't bother with it, but I think Sasha blocked him on Facebook for the time being.

Other than that, we had spent our time on the couch watching movies and joking around. My illness seemed to subside for the time being, but Sasha refused to let me go out that day. She wanted to make sure I was going to recover as soon as I possibly could, and that meant staying with her all day. If I was still sick tomorrow, we'd simply repeat. If this was something couples did all the time when they got sick, I could certainly adjust myself appropriately to this welcomed change.

As for dinner, we decided to play the minimalist again and not mess up the kitchen by cooking, so we planned on eventually ordering pizza once more, betting on whether or not the pizza delivery service would remember us from yesterday (not that we really cared). If everything panned out the way we intended, it'd simply be a repeat of yesterday; something that both of us wholeheartedly accepted.

Looking at the time, I was amazed that the past three hours had gone by so quickly. They say time flies when you're having fun, but this isn't exactly 'fun.' Not to say I wasn't content with the situation; Sasha in my arms as we cuddled underneath the same blanket as before, on the same couch as before, watching the same television as before, making the only real difference what we decided to watch. I was certainly happy with the current situation, but the mundane nature of our day was self-evident. How time had managed to pass so quickly was quite baffling, but I didn't bother questioning it further. I wasn't sure how long we could keep this up, because I guarantee eventually we'd get bored with this. But what else was there to do?

Looking down at Sasha, I noticed that she too felt the boredom in the situation. Her face was very blank, and although she sat comfortably within my reach, she certainly wasn't having the time of her life. "What's wrong?" I finally asked, figuring it could lead to us actually breaking the chain of repetition. With any luck, I could persuade her to go out today.

"I'm bored." Sasha finally confessed, sitting up and away from my relaxed form. Her dull expression had finally gotten the better of herself, and although I'm sure she was happy being with me all day, spending the entire afternoon _and_ night in front of the television wasn't exactly high on the "bucket" list.

"Well, I'd say 'let's go out,' but you've confined me to the house." I sarcastically remarked.

"True, and that isn't going to change." My expression somewhat dropped at this, which wasn't unnoticed. Sasha grinned at this before switching over to a ponderous look on her face, slowly tapping her figure to her chin in a sense of casual premeditation. She was certainly coming up with a plan, no doubt, but I had no idea what. She hadn't made any hints in her last two statements, and it wasn't like we could do much in her house other than this, so the array of activities we could partake in was limited to begin with. Regardless, she sat back into my chest once more, still trying to come up with an idea. I figured I'd let her come up with something, as I wasn't exactly feeling up to the challenge of finding something to keep us entertained.

Not five minutes passed, and Sasha sprung up with excitement. "I know! I know what we can do!" This somewhat frightened me, but I was open to all suggestions, so I reluctantly replied.

"Your enthusiasm scares me, but go on." I completed my sentence with a nod, once again signaling my approval for her to continue. I'll admit I was a little enthusiastic at this recent turn of conversation.

"Okay," she started. "What if you and me play a game?"

"A game?" I asked with a bit of concerned at this idea. "What kind of game?" We aren't kids anymore, so 'playing a game' wasn't exactly the most thrilling idea she could have had.

"20 questions, of course. That's what all the couples play!" She chirped.

"Uh, are you sure about that?" I asked, somewhat doubting her credibility in this statement. "Besides, we already know everything about each other. What would be the point?"

"Well, if it'll be so easy, why not play it then?" She narrowed her eyes and formed a sly grin. "Or, are you afraid you'll lose?"

"Can you even lose a game of 20 questions?" Yeah, I was definitely questioning her credibility now. "I think that's literally impossible."

"Exactly, so play!" She demanded, giving me a fake pout. Usually I would describe such actions as childish, but in her case I found a better adjective: _Sasha-ish_. Sometimes, that was the only word I could use to describe her actions.

I sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. You ask first." Despite my display of being against playing, I was actually sort of interested in the potential outcomes. Maybe I'd learn a few more things about her, sure, but depending on the questions, maybe I'd learn a bit more about not just her, or maybe even myself, but _us_.

"Um….." She pondered, and before she could come up with a kickoff question, I squeezed in a sarcastic remark.

"Don't tell me you're already stumped on the first question…" I interjected.

"Can it, wise guy." That got her, as she now prepped to ask. "What's your favorite color?"

If there was a greater magnitude of the term "face-palm," it could be used to describe what I just did, and basically how I felt about that question. "_My favorite color? Really?" _I thought. Not only does she know that already, but that seems like a waste of a question. Regardless, I answered her. "Orange."

"Alright good, just checking." Well, the good news was that she remembered that. The bad news was that I was now stuck with asking her a question. I thought for a second before worming my way out of it.

"What's your favorite color?" I'll admit, that was a bit contradictory of me, but I didn't care. If anything, I did it just to get on her nerves. I loved doing that.

"Really, Jean? You should know that by now." Normally, I would have had a rebuttal at this, but I figured this was just Sasha giving me the _'two can play this game'_ treatment, so I just went along with it, my only feedback to her being my blank expression. "It's green, of course!" The way she said that made it seem like it was just another fact of life, as if any and everyone should know it by now. Of course, if you'd ever been in her room, it'd be pretty hard not to pick up on that.

"Alright, my turn again….." The following exchange covered roughly a quarter of the game within a minute. "What's your favorite kind of music?"

"Rock. You?"

"Pop, duh. Alright, what's your favorite kind of food?"

"Whatever you make for me, you?"

"Aw, I'm flattered, Jeany-boy. I like whatever I make for me!" She laughed at her own statement, and I soon followed suit, chuckling along with her. "What is your favorite subject to study?"

"English. What's yours?"

At the same time, we both said "English," though her response was full of a lot more enthusiasm, whereas mine was surrounded with a semi-sarcastic overtone. She knew this wasn't getting anywhere, but she didn't seem to care. She just continued asking away.

"What kind of car do you drive?"

"A Mustang. Literally the same one you've been in how many times, exactly?"

"Hm, too many times to count. Alright what to ask…"

"Hey, wait a minute!" I interjected. "It's _my_ turn to ask _you_ a question."

"No it's not." She replied instantly, as if she planned this entire exchange from the start. "You asked me 'how many times I had been in your car,' and I answered, so now it's my turn!"

I knew Sasha could be sneaky, but that was just devious. I didn't really think she had thought that far ahead, however, that wasn't what worried me the most. What worried me more was the fact that Sasha was clearly in control here, and although I certainly didn't mind 'following the leader' throughout a game such as this, it made me wonder if she already had plans for the rest of this game. It would make sense, seeing as it took her nearly five minutes to come up with such a simple activity, as well as her over-enthusiasm at such a corny game. It was that, or I was just reading into it too much, which was entirely possible. Either way, I just decided to roll with it.

"Alright, so…" She trailed off; now making me wonder what was to come next. It was probably just going to be another simple question, such as what my favorite sport was or what soda or- "When was the last time you made out with a girl?"

"…"

You know, by now it has become overwhelmingly apparent that Sasha was just… different. As previously mentioned, I had to devise an entirely new adjective just to describe her. She was always full of surprises, and it never ceased to amaze me. Honestly, I was fully supporting of her surprising nature, as it meant that things were always different and never went dull when I was with her, but of course, you have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes, you just have moments like _this_ with her, and it makes me wonder something: "_What the hell is going on in her mind?"_

"W-what!?" The question completely took me off guard.

"You know, technically that counts as a question, but I'll let it slide." She once again gave me the same devious look as before, narrowed eyes and all. She seemed excited to know the answer, though it seemed like she already had an idea as to what my response would be. She was sitting back about a foot away, eager to here an answer, and I was sitting the same distance, eager to know why she had asked such a question.

"Never!" I shouted back, still startled by the upbringing of such a personal inquiry. Was she just curious of my 'romantic background' (which didn't really exist, might I add), or was she probing me for as much information as possible? Either could be possible. She could be searching for this information just so she could use it at any time, much like the embarrassing stories we once told to one another _just_ to gain leverage in a debate, or just to get on each other's nerves. She should know this, though. She should know I've had zero experience in this sort of thing. In fact, Sasha had even brought it up last night. Between the time I spent crushing over Mikasa and the time I spent not interested in a relationship, I had absolutely zero experience in anything more than holding hands. In fact, now that I thought about it, Sasha was my first kiss.

"Good." She whispered. My thoughts were broken as she leaned in toward me, and suddenly, with eyes closed and red cheeks, her pursed lips came crashing into mine. Previously, our kisses had only lasted for a second or two, our first being the longest at _maybe_ five, but this just kept going. The redness swelled from her cheeks and migrated to mine, though I didn't mind. Her recent advance was certainly surprising, but welcoming. It was very….. _Sasha-ish_ of her to do. One of her hands made it to the back of my neck, slowly rubbing circles into the cold skin, whereas the other found a spot at my neck, slowly inching its way down to my chest. My hands moved without thought, one planted on her shoulder, the other moving to her waist line. I was eager to make advances, but I was new to this. Was it too soon to already begin exploring her delicate figure with my hands? I certainly didn't expect this, and I definitely didn't want to overextend my welcome, so to speak. So I kept my hands still, awaiting her guidance.

That guidance soon arrived, as her hand freed itself from my chest and gripped my hand, slowly guiding it upward. She parted ways, taking a breath before continuing her advance. "Here." She whispered, moving the hand which once held her waist up toward her breast. My hand seized up at the thought and refused to move along with hers, not wanting to overextend my boundaries. I hovered on her lower torso, not entirely sure what to do. Our kiss only deepened, tongues battling for dominance, and soon I realized that I shouldn't be worrying about crossing the line. _I_ was the reserved one here, while Sasha was the one in control. If she gave me permission to do something, I would only do as told, and would certainly not go above that limit unless given the queue to do so.

Her hand once more tugged on my own, and this time I caved. I allowed my hand to be brought up to her breast, and firmly planted it on her bountiful curve. Sasha wasn't considered to be the curviest girl in school, but she had definitely matured in her _womanly regions_ a bit more than other girls. I could feel the lining of her bra underneath the thin fabric of her shirt, but I dared not move further. This is where I wished to draw the line for now. It wasn't that I was opposed to what we were doing, but I felt that it was just a little soon. If we moved too fast, who knows what could happen. I wasn't going to allow this relationship to crumble over something like that. I knew Sasha wasn't the type of girl to go around doing this sort of thing, so I wasn't worried about her moral integrity. No, during the time we spent together, with our lips almost violently clashing, I figured it out: She was stressed. She had all this pent up energy and angst, and I was her release. This is all she wanted for now and nothing more. I was one hundred percent okay with this decision, as I wanted whatever she wanted.

After a few more eternal seconds in harmony, the doorbell had sounded. We instantly broke free, but neither one of us moved away, still leaning into each other with our foreheads touching. Our hands broke free from their trance, and instead met each other in her lap. We breathed heavily, still exhilarated by the events that had just taken place. I looked into her euphoric, golden eyes, and I smiled, my grin, although sly, was very genuine. She returned the smile, though hers widened more than mine, exposing her satisfaction of the act.

"That was fantastic." I muttered.

"Yeah…" Was all she could say, her cheeks not yet fully extinguished. I couldn't blame her, as mine too felt immense heat. We perpetually stared into each other, every second sending our gazes deeper into one another. We were both lost in a trance, and I could have sworn she began leaning in for another round, though the sound of the doorbell once again tore us from our fantasies.

"Oh, shoot. I almost forgot! Let me grab that!" She stood up quickly, adjusting her shirt in the process. She walked out the room and toward the door. I leaned back into the couch, my expression now divulging a sense of disbelief. One second I was playing a simple game used by couples to get to know one another, and the next I was playing a game some couples didn't play for months until after they initially got together. Not that I was complaining, but I was certainly stunned. The sound of Sasha greeting our visitor signified that it was only the pizza delivery guy, who had actually remembered delivering to the same house last night, though I had been the one to great him, so he didn't remember Sasha (which technically meant we both won the bet we made earlier). After a brief conversation between the two, she thanked the man once more before closing the door. As she walked into the room, she set the food down on the coffee table. "Dinner's here, finally!" She was practically livid with excitement. "I'll go grab the plates!" With that, she scurried over to the kitchen.

"_Leave it to Sasha to immediately be excited about food right after…... after that." _I thought to myself, still laid back on the couch._ "That's just so Sasha-ish of her."_

* * *

Another three hours passed, and surprisingly, without a single mention of what previously transpired. Sasha and I had remained in the living room mostly, eating our early dinner and cuddling under the covers. My illness was starting to come back a bit more, though, and although I couldn't completely pinpoint the cause of that, I wondered if it had been anything to do with the amount of excitement I had felt earlier.

I brought up my condition to Sasha, though I didn't want to bring up my theory behind the cause. I knew if I had done that, it would have A.) Made me sound ungrateful for the act, and B.) Made Sasha feel guilty and become overly apologetic. I wanted neither of those things for her, so I simply settled on telling her of my condition.

That was roughly an hour ago. Ever since then, Sasha has practically been pampering me, which is something I highly dislike. Don't get me wrong, having someone around (in this case my wonderful girlfriend) to help me with things I might need to do is great, and I really appreciate her efforts, but I've never been one to like this sort of special treatment, sick or not. Despite this fact, she insisted. She gave me medicine, water, and basically anything I needed. I really was lucky to have Sasha as a best friend, let alone girlfriend.

At roughly six thirty, the next series of intriguing events began. I was lying down on the couch, watching some military history program. This was the kind of stuff I loved watching. I always dreamed about joining the military, and reading and hearing all the stories only further fuelled that drive. My father served in the Army, particularly as a member of the military police, and although that certainly intrigued me, I had recently begun thinking about the possibilities of joining a Special Forces team, conducting reconnaissance missions and such. I wasn't entirely sure how Sasha would feel about that, but that was something we'd discuss much, much later down the road.

As I stared at the screen trying to absorb all the information being given, Sasha had reentered the room. "Where have you been?" I asked in a somewhat curious tone.

"I was just sitting out back taking a phone call. My mom just wanted to check up on me. Why, did you need anything?" She came around the corner of the couch in a somewhat eager pace, which only further matched the end of her last statement. She was actually worried that in the past thirty minutes I was in such dire need of her assistance, and she wasn't around to satisfy my needs. I felt sort of bad, but at the same time, I just thought that was adorable.

"Oh, not at all. I was just curious." I thought about what she had said, and had a revelation: I hadn't even been outside once the entire day. "What's it like outside?"

"A decent day." She started. "The sun is almost finished setting, and it's about fifty five degrees out. They say it's going to rain within the hour, though; supposedly all night."

"Well, that'll be nice." There was something about the rain that I enjoyed. The overwhelming sense of tranquility, the sound of heavy rain falling upon the roof, and the excuse to just sit around and watch it pour: all things I absolutely enjoyed about the rain. Sasha had told me before that she liked the rain as well, but I wasn't sure if it was for those very same reasons, or because she liked to run around in it. Both seemed like viable reasons for her.

"How are you feeling?" She sat down on the edge of the couch, placing her hand upon my forehead. "Your fever feels like it's gone."

"Yeah, my fever feels completely gone. My sinuses and head are the only things left bothering me. That, and I feel really cold all of a sudden. Same thing that happened to you yesterday." I paused, recollecting on the previous night's events. It was now roughly around the same time Sasha had faced the same predicament yesterday, alleviating the pain by entering a warm shower. That's also when the whole _shower incident_, as it has officially been labeled, occurred. The thought of a warm shower, which I completely skipped out on this morning, was certainly enticing. I sat up, Sasha shifting slightly in order to give me room to stretch a bit. "You know, a shower sounds pretty good right about now." I got up as I finished those words, stretching my limbs as I let out a strained yawn.

"Well, there's that, or you can always go out back to the hot tub if you'd like." Sasha brought up an excellent point. I had completely forgotten that her parents had invested in an outback spa area recently. I remembered the official 'inauguration' of the hot tub. Sasha had invited a few of us over; specifically Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, and myself. A great night, though I'm pretty sure no one has been over to use it since. A shower would help, but a dip in the hot tub would feel _majestic_. The sensation of the jets releasing their pressure on my joints, the simmering water heating every inch of my body, and the therapeutic smell of whatever scent they had put in was a million times more enticing than standing up under a boring shower head.

Immediately, I replied. "Hot tub."

"Alright," She smiled, laughing a bit at my sudden decision. "Hot Tub it is."

With that, Sasha left to undo the cover, whereas I guided myself to the bathroom to change. I hadn't brought a pair of swim trunks, but I still had the athletic shorts from last night, along with a second pair for afterwards, so those would have to do. They felt a bit weird with nothing underneath, but it wouldn't matter for much longer. I looked in the mirror, just to see how I was looking. It was apparent that I was sick, as my hair was completely messed up, my skin was pale, and my default facial expression somewhat resembled death at the moment. "_What does she even find attractive about me?"_ I chuckled inwardly at my thoughts.

I glanced at my torso region, and was sarcastically pleased to see that past two days of eating completely unhealthily and not working out at all hadn't taken any sort of effect (not that I _actually_ thought it would). The past few months, I had seriously been going to the gym, and it showed. I either went with Marco to run, Eren to swim or play racquet ball, and surprisingly, I went with Berthold and Reiner to lift. I wasn't sure how Reiner had managed to build himself up so much over the years, but he was certainly great at giving advice and spotting. I was nowhere near as buff as him, in fact I wouldn't even use the term 'buff' to describe myself at all, but I was certainly defined. My pectoral muscles had chiseled out a bit, and my arms certainly weren't lanky. I felt a little embarrassed about 'checking myself out' like this, but I was more or less just interested in my athletic progress. I was impressed with myself, and that certainly warranted _a little_ self-praise.

"Jean!" Sasha shouted from the kitchen area. "It's ready when you are!"

I exited the bathroom and walked down the short remainder of the hallway into the kitchen. Sasha was waiting at the glass sliding door, which lead to the back deck. Once she spotted me walking through the kitchen, I could've sworn she had started staring at my exposed form before finally averting her gaze out the door, but maybe I was just getting a little cocky about things. Once I was close enough, she walked out onto the deck, and I followed suit. Not before long, I arrived at the rim of the hot tub. I glanced over at Sasha, giving her an affirmative nod and grin, and she smiled back. Examining her features closely, I noticed a small blush forming on her cheeks. That definitely solidified my previous thoughts. I began slipping in, and although the water felt like it was burning right through my skin, I proceeded; making a series of grunts and moans as I slowly entered the water. Once I was just about in, I looked back up at Sasha, who continued to stare at me. I wondered if her gaze had even once left me.

"Sasha?" I asked and I received nothing, not even a blink. "Sasha? You okay?" I continued, waving my hand a bit in the air. That time, I managed to shake her away from her thoughts. She realized she had been zoning out, and quickly reasserted herself in the conversation.

"Ah, s-sorry about that! I sorta got lost in my thoughts." The embarrassed expression and red tinge certainly betrayed her words, but I decided it was best to leave it be. If I ever wanted to use this scenario as ammunition for later, I certainly could, but I didn't want to embarrass her any more than I had already. "I'll be right back!" She practically shouted as she reentered the house, sliding the glass door shut behind her. She probably had to make another phone call or grab something to read while I rested in the boiling bath.

Instantly, my sinuses began to clear, making this one of the best decisions of the night so far. A peaceful view was painted in front of me, as if the backdrop was provided by a priceless artist, tediously shaping the work with every stroke of the brush. The sun had just set, making it almost completely dark out, despite the remnants of orange and purple kissing the sky. It also appeared as if a few clouds were beginning to roll in. I figured that was the impending storm, but it looked like we had at least a little while before it would strike.

Her deck divided her house from the expansive backyard, which was surrounded by tall, wooden fencing, allowing any occupants privacy from the neighbors. Her house was located in a decent neighborhood where the houses were close to each other, but still provided a decent area out back. Her house was located on a corner, and the road that went to the right of her house lead down a hill, with houses on the opposite side. From my position, I could see the fronts of people's houses, some looking occupied and some empty, judging by the amount of lights which broke through the darkness. At the end of the sloped road there was a local beach; a prime spot for all of us to hang out during the warmer months. It was never overly crowded, as it was a "neighborhood exclusive" spot, but as long as we had Sasha with us, nobody bothered us.

The sound of the sliding glass door signaled Sasha's return, thus breaking my train of thought. I didn't mind, as I had all the time to admire the beauty of the setting sun and dark clouds. I glanced over quickly, purely out of instinct, and looked away calmly, just to do a double take at Sasha. She had returned alright, but now it was my time to gawk, as she was in one of her own two pieces. It was completely blank, void of any pattern, only coated in a light pink color. Forget the fleeting sunset; there was a new beauty to admire.

"I hope you don't mind if I get in, Jean. It just sounds really relaxing." Sasha interjected. Thankfully, I was conscious enough to be aware of her statement and respond accordingly, unlike her a few minutes before.

"Not at all." That was all I could manage to say. Slowly, she followed the same procedure as I had, immersing herself into the simmering water with care.

Once she was settled in, she let out a long, tiring sigh. "This is fantastic!" The enthusiasm in her voice never surprised me. "I'm so glad you thought of this, Jean!"

"Aren't you the one who thought of this?"

"True, but if you hadn't decided on this, you would have been in the shower and I would have been stuck inside until you got out." She seemed excessively happy about this, and I was in total agreement. This was a great idea. It felt amazing, my sinuses were clearing up, and I got to see Sasha in a two piece. "_It's odd, though_." I thought to myself. "I've_ seen her in one before and I barely gave notice to it. Do I just now care because we're dating?_" That wasn't as entirely farfetched as I initially thought. It somewhat made sense, seeing as I was Sasha's, and Sasha was mine. Maybe I always wanted to lust over her, but now I was allowing myself to. Whatever the case was, I figured it'd be best to stow away my desires for now.

For the next couple minutes, we both sat across from each other in silence. I stared up at the sky, trying my best to not stare at Sasha. I watched as the dark clouds of the coming storm began rolling in at a hasty speed. The wind had picked up, which was usually a sign of approaching inclement weather. I watched and calculated, and although I was certainly no meteorologist, I figured we had another ten minutes. Satisfied with my estimating, I figured I might as well bring this up to Sasha.

"Hey, Sasha." I looked across the way, steam being the only obstacle in between us, providing hardly any concealment. By the time I had fully tilted my head downward, she was already making eye contact. I wasn't sure if she was just quick to react, or if she had been staring once more, but it didn't matter. I decided to continue. "I think the storm is almost here. We may want to wrap this up soon." I certainly hated being the bearer of bad news, especially now that I had her undivided attention, primarily signified by the drop in her expression.

"Let's stay in until we have to get out." She said, trying to relax as many muscles as possible.

"Fine by me." I didn't want to get out either, but I certainly didn't want to stay in while it began to rain. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a thunder storm, but in that case, I would be out as soon as we saw the first flash or heard the first boom. As wonderful of a sensation this was, I wasn't about to risk my life just to stay in a boiling bath of water for an extra minute or two. With any hope, Sasha felt the same way.

"Hey, Jean. Are you feeling better?" Sasha suddenly asked.

"Yeah, this is really clearing up my sinuses. I almost feel back to normal." I gave off a smile and nod at the end of my statement. "Don't worry about me. You need to relax for now." It was true; Sasha needed some time to unwind. She had been taking care of me all day and I didn't want her to feel the extra strain of my burden any longer.

"Yeah." She replied, pausing a few seconds before continuing. "What do you want to do tomorrow?" Her tone had picked up suddenly, a hint of excitement crossing her mind as she prospected over the thoughts of tomorrow: _hopefully_ our first day of being a couple without either of us being sick.

"No clue. We could always ask what everyone else is up to." As much as I wanted to just hang out with Sasha, I knew that too much attention could easily turn into a bad thing, especially this early on. If I smothered her, or if she smothered me, we'd end up sick of each other in a matter of days. What we needed was a break, or at least a change of pace. Despite this logical conclusion, I still wanted to spend all day with Sasha again, of course this time actually going out and about instead of confining ourselves to her house.

"Yeah, maybe they planned something fun. Although…." As she prolonged the pause, I noticed her form sitting upright, and then gently gliding over toward me. Instead of settling down on either of the vacant seats on either side of me, Sasha opted for a more direct approach, sitting on the seat divider, propping her legs up and over my own. She wrapped her arms around my neck, swooping in and cradling her head in the nook of my neck. "Wouldn't you want to spend the entire day with me again?"

Her tone was only semi-serious, a sense of playfulness lingering with each word. I responded accordingly, with that same guideline in place; "Your offer is quite enticing, Ms. Braus."

"I thought you'd be interested in that, Mr. Kirschtein." The same carefree tone carried between us. We discussed seeing a movie, or maybe, weather permitting, we'd go spend a day at the park. We also decided that after this weekend, it would be best if we didn't spend every waking moment together. Lucky, she agreed with me: As deep as our love went for one another, we knew that constant interaction would grow tiresome.

In an instant, the first sign of rain graced itself upon the earth, the tiny droplets slowly multiplying in a matter of seconds. It was slow and spaced out at first, and we both remained in our seat. Without any warning, Sasha closed the gap between us kissed me passionately, only for me to return the kiss immediately. I wasn't going to shy away this time, as now I wanted to be the assertive one. After a few seconds, our tongues began to clash once more, and our hands started wondering. I worked my way around her exposed waist, and she rubbed circles into my back. As the rain picked up, our kiss only deepened. We were lost in a trance, and neither of us wanted to escape.

Despite the slight breeze whipping small droplets of rain into us, we stayed perfectly still, our mouths and our hands doing the only movement. Every now and then, we would briefly part ways to catch a breath, only to merge once more. After a few repetitions of this, I broke free. A subtle look of disappointment crossed her face at my act of retreat, which only sped up my next act. Once again gaining control, I began kissing her neck. Her sweet scent overwhelmed my senses, and it only drove me further. Sasha let out short, barely audible moans at this advance, though her hands seized up at first, most likely from shock. Once she regained consciousness, she moved one of her hands away from my back and grasped the hand that rubbed her waist temptingly. Just like before, she moved my hand up to her soft breast, only this time I did not hesitate. The already burning sensation on my cheeks skyrocketed, and I could only assume the same occurred with her as she began whimpering at my touch. My thumb slowly guided itself across the wet fabric, tedious exploring every inch of her bosom. This scenario was playing out just like our first lustful encounter, and although I wasn't about to back down so sheepishly, I wasn't about to advance. The only thing stopping me from seeing her fully exposed was two wet, thin pieces of what one could barely call 'clothing,' and I wanted it to stay that way for now. Sasha and I had only been dating for a day, and to be honest, I thought we had already made too much progress in such a small amount of time. If this is what she wanted, I was okay with it, but just as before, I found my assertive nature taking a back seat to hers, not wanting to overstep my boundaries.

The brutal contrast of warmth and cold now became uncomfortable. At this point, we both looked at each other, knowing that our peaceful bath was now over. Sasha rose from her seat in my lap, and was the first to get out. As I stood up, she held out her hand and guided me out. Although I felt much better, my head still felt a tad dizzy, and the last I wanted was to fall on my way out. As soon as I stepped foot on the cold, wooden deck, the rain intensified, beating against our bodies with increasing ferocity. "Go inside, Jean. I'll cover it up." I wanted to help her, but I knew she would refuse my assistance, so I reluctantly replied. By the time I made it to the door, Sasha came sprinting over, trying her best to minimize the time spent in the freezing rain. Once we both made it inside, we quickly grabbed the towels Sasha had set out before she came out and vigorously dried our bodies.

"Do you feel better?" Sasha asked, her voice barely above a whisper. A pleased expression was plastered on her face, a sly grin and narrowed eyes being the major components, along with her burning cheeks. If that was any indicator, it meant that she had as much fun as I had.

"Yeah. That was much better than a shower." This was certainly an understatement. What just transpired was more than a sense of alleviation from my illness, rather alleviation from the toils of reality. When she was in my lap, I was lost, a state of euphoria sweeping its way across all my senses. It felt like time was at a standstill, and we were no longer the ones watching the beauty of nature unfold. We had become part of that beauty.

"Good." She said, slowly walking passed me, her hand brushing up against my own. "I'll be upstairs for a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable once you're done changing. I'll be down soon."

I only nodded in compliance as I followed her out into the hall, wrapped in nothing more than a towel and my soaked shorts. I watched her nearly exposed figure walk slowly down the hardwood floor, careful not to slip. Just as I reached the bathroom, I made it not two steps in until I heard a loud crash in the hallway. I immediately turned around, and poked my head around the door frame. As it turns out, Sasha's deliberate pace had not worked out too well, as she was now sprawled out on the ground. I felt a sensation of concern swell inside, only to be completely extinguished when she began to get up, appearing completely fine. A normal boyfriend would rush over to her aid, or at least ask if she was okay, but I was Jean Kirschtein; the not-so-average boyfriend. Instead, I began laughing as I stood in the hallway, one propping myself up on the wall, the other still gripping my towel around my waist.

"Way to ruin such a….. a spectacular moment!" I managed to release through the first gap of laughter. The look on her face was priceless as she turned around, realizing that although I may not have _seen_ what had happened, it was painfully obvious what had occurred. "That's so…. _Sasha-ish _of you." I was once again able to express myself through words as my laughter ensued.

"What's so funny, horse-face?" My laughter only intensified. "Shut it, Jerk!" Sasha retorted. She looked at me with playful venom, which was somewhat easy to mix up with her _actual_ expression of anger. Usually, I'd be worried, but I just wasn't satisfied. I kept going, like the jerk I was. She continued, giving me a pout in the process. "You know, most boyfriends would come _help_ their girlfriend off the ground, sick or not!"

"Well," I started, a rebuttal already formulated. "I'm not like most boyfriends." My laugher began to subside, and she turned around, continuing her path toward the stairs. I could have sworn that, before she fully finished revolving around, a smirk crossed her lips.

"Isn't that the truth…." That was the last thing she muttered before walking up the stairs, a hand slowly rubbing the side she had fallen on. I smiled at the thought of our exchange; specifically at how our personalities could clash and meld together like this. One minute, we were cradling each other, lost in the other's tight embrace, the next we were laughing at each other for one being a klutz and the other being a jerk. It was a strange dynamic we had, but it was a good one. It was a mixture of personalities that really made me believe we could spend every moment of our lives together and we _still_ wouldn't get bored. I wasn't keen on trying out this idea, but I certainly didn't mind experimenting with the concept. Finally fully in control of myself, I walked back into the bathroom, and changed back into my regular attire.

* * *

It was now ten o'clock, and we had now resumed normal activities. We once again found ourselves cuddled on the couch watching movies, only difference from last night being the inclement weather outside. The rain was relentless, though in a good way. It made the atmosphere that much more peaceful, and that much more _romantic_, dare I say it.

Honestly, after the experience we just had, I think we both wanted to take a small breather. As much as I longed for her touch, the taste of her sweet lips, and the soothing feeling of her hands slowly massaging my back, I knew it was best to have a 'cool down' period. Just as we had done last time, neither of us brought it up. Instead, we casually chatted for a while, talking as if nothing had happened. She was now wearing a short pair of running shorts, as well as an old T-shirt, though she covered herself in my orange hoodie. I assumed she intended on sleeping in it, which was fine, as I figured I'd be warm enough cradling her figure underneath the covers.

For a while, we spent time on my laptop, once again checking Facebook for updates from our friends. There seemed to be a lot of commotion going on, specifically pictures and videos being posted all day about last night's concert. We saw pictures of everyone dancing, some of them playing games, and one of the best pictures of all; the mosh pit. Honestly, it wasn't the most ferocious mosh pit ever devised, as it looked reasonably controlled. The music being played was a mix of rock and alternative rock, so we were sure the pit wasn't going to be filled to the rim with people purposely bashing into each other, supposedly like at metal concerts. What made the picture so hilarious, though, is that of all people who we saw jumping about in the pit, Armin looked like he was having the time of his life. Don't get me wrong, Armin is a great guy, and a genius to match the quality of his personality. It just seemed funny that the quite, smart kid from class was now becoming the life of the party, all riled up and in the heat of the moment. Judging by the comments, no one was entirely sure why he had suddenly changed his attitude, but no one was certainly complaining. Well, other than Eren and Mikasa, who had to drag him out at the end of the concert.

Speaking of those two, I wondered how they were doing. After what I had heard about Mikasa ripping Eren and Annie apart, I wondered what had actually happened, why she did that, and how they were doing now. Living in the same house as the person who stopped you before hooking up with a girl such as Annie must really be awkward. There had to be some sort of good reason, I'm sure. I inquired Sasha about it, and she wasn't too sure herself. She said she had spoken to Christa about it earlier, but she had no idea either, and Sasha and I both agreed that it would be best not to pry into it. It was their business, and we would only make it ours if they came to us with it.

With the credit screen of the action movie we just finished rolling onto the screen; Sasha stood up from the sofa and stretched out. "I don't know about you, but I'm beat. I'm going up to bed." I'll admit, I felt a bit exhausted myself. My sickness had subsided to a reasonably controllable level, but it was still present, which warranted the use of medication for the night.

I stood up, saying "I'll head up with you" as I sloppily folded the wool blanket up and slung it over the back of the couch. Once I finished, she started her way upstairs, whereas I went into the downstairs bathroom in order to prep myself for bed. First and foremost, I took my medication, which would hopefully bring me even closer to sleep. After that was dealt with, I brushed my teeth, all while thinking about the day I just had. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day. This was by far the second best day of my life, the first being yesterday. Today, we made more progress with our relationship than I thought anyone ever had in the same time frame. At the thought of that, though, I began to worry. Earlier thoughts about moving too quickly in the relationship came surging back, and I soon found myself staring at into the mirror with shame.

My thoughts began racing. "_Logically speaking, I had done nothing wrong. Sasha was the one who took control of the situation, not me. Technically speaking, that meant that she was the one who wanted this. I mean, I wanted it too, but only if she did. But, at the same time, what if she wanted this only because she thought I wanted it? What if I was accidentally pressuring her all day today? I can't think of when or how, but who knows. Man, this kind of stuff is confusing."_

"Jean?!" Sasha shouted downstairs, releasing me from my internal monologue. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" I shouted back. "Be up in a minute!"

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was okay. I didn't know if what had happened today was right, and although I hate second guessing myself, I had already done that a million times in the past minute. I thought about bringing it up with Sasha, but not right away. I took one last look in the mirror, staring into my brown eyes with a mix of emotions: pride, shame, happiness, anger, and honestly anything in between. Figuring there was no use just standing around, I casually walked out of the room and headed up the stairs, ready for another night with Sasha. I had no clue what would happen while we were in bed. Part of me longed for a _round three_, but part of me really wanted to avoid it. As usual, I decided on letting Sasha take the reins. This was her call, not mine.

I entered the room to find Sasha already underneath the covers, sitting up against the backboard of the bedframe. "Took you long enough!" She happily exclaimed. "Was there a problem?" She gave me a witty smile before her last remark. "Don't tell me you couldn't figure out the 'child safety' lock on the bottle of pills, Jean."

"Ha! Yeah right!" I said as I strolled toward the bed. As I started lifting the covers, I continued my previous remark. "Says the klutz who fell in the hallway."

She was not happy at that, as she gave me a quick pout and crossed her arms. "That isn't funny, Jean." She gave in a mockingly serious tone. "I could have seriously been hurt."

As calmly as I could, I sarcastically rebutted. "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" I feigned a tone of distress and reached my arms out in a fake display of desperation once I finally made my way underneath the covers. Despite her previous persona, Sasha began laughing uncontrollably at my antics.

"You're such an idiot sometimes, Jeany-boy."

"Yeah, I know, but at least I don't slip in the hall-"

"Cut it out!" She shouted, slapping me across the face with one of her throw pillows. I only laughed more at her retaliation, whereas she returned fire, swinging her pillow at me a few more times, giggling at our little feud the entire time. After one of her playful swings, I grabbed her wrist with my hand, holding it hostage above our heads. Her expression instantly shifted, now warped into a curios one. "Jean?" She asked, not knowing what to expect. My own face was now blank, void of any distinctive emotion. I stared intently into her golden orbs, her auburn hair now messy and partially concealing her face. I absolutely loved her traditional hair style, but when she let her hair down like this, I felt like I was seeing a whole new, _equally_ _beautiful_ side of her. It was long and flowing, and smooth to the touch. My other hand couldn't control itself as it began stroking her hair, the scent of strawberries being released at each touch. It was that same sweet sent as before. I almost couldn't control myself from reengaging her mouth with my own.

Apparently, Sasha had the same idea, bringing her free hand up to my cheek. She cupped it with her soft, gentle touch, which sent an all too familiar burning sensation across my face. Maybe I wouldn't be the one to initiate it, once again. She began leaning inward, her eyes starting to narrow. I was about to do the same, until a reoccurring thought forced its way into my mind. An overwhelming sense of guilt filled my gut, and I pulled away instantly, releasing my grasp from her and completely looking away, avoiding her now concerned gaze.

"J-Jean?" She stuttered, signaling her uneasiness in the situation. "What wrong?"

At first, I almost backed down, figuring I could play it off as something less important. I tried coming up with excuses, but every time I thought of one, the same thought came creeping back: "_Talk to her about it._" It felt like it was the right thing to do, but should I really do it now? I mean, she obviously wanted to continue, and I was the one holding her back. Was I hurting her? I already determined earlier that she was stressed, and I was her stress ball. I was her release, and this is how she chose to deal with it. If I impeded her progress in this endeavor, what would that make me? I wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

At that moment, though, I decided not to back down. I had a hunch, and if I had learned anything last night, it was that sometimes it's important to act out on them. Great things came from my assertion last night, and things would work this time for sure. I still had my fears about the outcome, but I knew I couldn't live like that. I had to stow away my fears, and replace them with courage. No matter what the outcome was, at least I knew I tried. There was no more running away. I had to stand my ground.

"Jean, we need to talk." Sasha broke my thoughts, somewhat startling me. I wasn't sure what she had to say, but maybe it would help me prepare myself for my own inquiries. So, I wasted no more time responding to her.

"I'll listen. But I have something to say too." Sasha gave me bit of a curious expression, but it was soon replaced with a serious structure. Whatever she had to say, it was important. Taking into consideration everything that had just happened, though, I could almost guarantee what it was about. She probably wanted to know why I had stopped, thinking it had something to do with her or her looks, or maybe something about me. Maybe she felt like-

"I'm sorry about today." She started, completely shocking me with her words.

"Sorry? For what?" It was odd; she had nothing to feel sorry about. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for mooching off of her all day.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened today. I'm sorry for getting you sick, and I'm sorry for being such a burden at times." I really had no idea what this was about, but judging by her quiet voice and somber tone, it was serious, so it was my duty to listen; not just as a boyfriend, but as a best friend. "I'm sorry for a lot of things, but most importantly, I'm sorry for leading you on." Okay, now I was confused. I began assuming the worst. What exactly did she mean by leading me on? If she meant the relationship, I feared that things would go south before I actually had a chance to tell her what I had to say. It just couldn't be, not yet.

"Leading me on?" I interjected. "You did no such thing!" I exclaimed apologetically, my hands up in defense. I had to try and keep her calm, but still let her continue. It still required a bit more explaining, but I had a feeling I knew what this was about.

"Yes I did. I did this afternoon before dinner, and in the hot tub, and even now." She paused, collecting herself before continuing. Her hands guided themselves to mine, which were still held in front of me. Her fingers began weaving into mine, and we both gently closed our grasp. "I love you, I really do. But I just think that maybe…." She paused once more, this time closing her eyes in thought. Now I was seriously worried. A few seconds passed, and she averted her gaze downward as she continued.

"….. Maybe we are moving too fast."

That was it. That is what all this was about. She felt exactly the same as I did. Part of me was relieved at this sudden revelation, but part of me was now even more lost than it was before. It didn't seem possible. She was the one who was in control all those times. "Really?" That was all I could say before she continued.

"I wanted everything that happened today, and I don't regret it, but we've only been dating for a day. I know I'm really the one who started it, but that's what I thought you wanted. I just don't know if I'm ready to begin moving this fast, and also I-"

"Sasha!" I exclaimed, a bit louder than I intended. She looked back up at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, startled by my recent intrusion. "I feel the same way."

"What?" She asked, completely taken back by my words. "But-"

Before she could continue, I interrupted. Now, it was my time to talk. "I enjoyed everything we did today, and I mean _everything_, but I too felt like we were moving too fast. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." I paused, a look of relief beginning to cover both our faces simultaneously. "I love you, deeply. But like you said, it's only been a day. We need to cool down a bit."

We both stared at each other, not saying a single word. The only thing we could hear was the pitter-patter of the rain continually bombarding the shingles and glass windows. After a few moments, I continued. "I thought for the longest time that I was pressuring you somehow, or that you felt like you had to do this for me, or that you were stressed out and I was supposed to help alleviate that stress."

In an attempt to lighten the mood, she giggled a bit at the thought, and finally spoke up. "That wasn't it at all, Jean. Looks like we had a miscommunication." I too chuckled at the assertion, not just because it helped relax both of us, but because it was true. We both had mixed feelings of what was expected out of each other, and ultimately that lead us to this point. "Although…" She continued, a very familiar look of deviance crossing her face. "If I'm ever stressed out, as you say, I'll remember the remedy." With that, she came in close and pecked me quickly on the lips, before wrapping me in a warm embrace, which I returned tenfold. "Okay, Jean." She said, gasping for air. "I think you're loving me too much right now." I relinquished my grasp with a laugh, which was exchanged appropriately.

As our emotions finally started to refine themselves from angst to love once more, I turned toward the end table behind me and switched off the lights. Sasha already laid in 'spooning position,' awaiting my loving embrace to envelop her entire form. Quickly, I took the queue and moved inward, wrapping my arms snuggly around her waist. I leaned in close to her ear, and whispered one final trio of words: "I love you."

She smiled as she adjusted herself to my head, which now rested in the nook of her neck. "I love you, too." She whispered back, before fully shutting her eyes and drifting away to sleep.

Even though I was the one who took the medication, which was certainly beginning to consume my body in slumber, Sasha was the first to fall asleep. That was entirely expected, and it was certainly alright for her to do so. We had made tremendous progress as a couple today, and not just physically. We not only scaled a wall, but broke it down. We explored outside of each other's boundaries mistakenly, and rectified out mistakes. Supposedly, that was a problem many couples face, but not us. No, we were stronger than most couples. We had a perfect blend of personality, which although presented situations such as today, we were able to work through it in the end. I knew that eventually, we would have an argument, or we would need a little space from one another, but ultimately we knew that was only expected as a couple, and that, no matter what, we would always be there for each other, loving each other until the end. It had only been the first twenty four hours of our relationship, but I knew our love would last for a lifetime, and then some, along with all the memories we had already made.

The sound of the rain intensified, picking up as the storm worsened. It was funny how something so violent could be so peaceful, as the rain slowly calmed my thoughts with its overwhelmingly tranquil presence. Soon after my thoughts came to rest, I was lulled asleep by a combination of senses: the sound of rain beating against the shingling of the house, the faint breathing of Sasha brushing against my bare skin, the warmth of her form radiating over to mine, and the everlasting feeling of comfort in the situation.

As I closed my eyes, one final thought crossed my mind, along with an inward chuckle: "_We never finished that game of 20 questions."_

Maybe we'd pick that up tomorrow.

(As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and I hope you look forward to reading my other projects. With that being said, a little motivation wouldn't hurt, so go ahead and favorite or review this story if you please, and let me know what you thought! All types of (constructive) criticism is welcome! In order to track my progress, as well as get a somewhat 'behind the scenes' look at things, go ahead and check out my Tumblr page (Search for "coolguyjean" on the site. For some reason I cannot post a direct link. Sorry!) Again, thank you so much for the view, review, and support. It all means a lot to me. See you at the next project!)


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